THAT WHICH LAY HERE WAITING
by Chick Feed
Summary: People keep going missing, with no trace ever found and no clues as to what may have happened. Sam and Dean gradually compile a list of potential suspects as they take on another hunt, their search leading them ever closer to That Which Lay Here Waiting .,.,,.,.,.,.. Set sometime in Season 1. No Spoilers. Multi chapter case fic. Rated "T" just in case.
1. Chapter 1 - Prologue

_A.N. Case fic set sometime in Season one, no spoilers. Thank you for clicking on this story. Hope you enjoy:D  
__Chick xxxx_

* * *

**CHAPTER 1**

**THAT WHICH LAY HERE WAITING**

**o-o-o**

**_ Beware my fine young traveller, _**

**_ Within this forest deep._**

**_ Else that which lay here waiting,_**

**_ May call you whilst you sleep._**

**_ Turn away now young traveller,_**

**_ Turn quickly, whilst you still can._**

**_ Run far from that which lays waiting,_**

**_ Or sleep forever, young man. _**

**_o-o-o_**

**PROLOGUE**

**ooo**

Clearing the last of his full English, Dean pushed his empty plate away, and burped loudly. Sam's head immediately appeared from behind his newspaper and Dean chuckled at the glare Sam shot him.

"What? I'm being appreciative. There's some places where it's seen as an insult if you _don't _burp."

"Uh huh...But _this_ is really not one of them dude!"

Still grinning, Dean picked up his coffee and sat back in the booth. The diner was full and busy, old rock n' roll classics played continuously in the background. The decor was bright and cheerful, a reflection of the general atmosphere. The food itself was delicious and plentiful and the customers were dealt with by an efficient team of staff who all seemed to enjoy their work.

"You know, I think we should make this a place we come back to whenever we're in this area. Get to be regulars. How about it?"

Putting his paper down, Sam glanced around. He turned in the direction of a child's shriek, smiling as he watched the little girl's father teasing her by pretending to try to steal her fries. Looking back at his brother, Sam shrugged.

"It's a nice place, really...But we've always avoided going back to the same place too often. _Don't have a routine, don't become predictable_. Right?"

A flicker of sadness crossed over Dean's face and he sighed.

"Yeah, I guess so...but it sucks."

Sam smiled in sympathy as he unfurled the newspaper once again.

"You're right, it does. So...How about a job to cheer you up?"

Dean suddenly became alert and attentive.

"You found something? Great! What is it?"

...

Dean groaned, shaking his head, his eyes pleading.

"Noooo...Can't you find us something else? _Anything_! Pleeease! C'mon Sammy, be nice to me, break a habit."

Sam looked puzzled.

"Why? What's wrong with it?"

"You kiddin' me? Sam.._.forest_! Trees, vegetation, creepy crawlies, _whassits_..."

"Whassits?"

"Yeah..._lots_ of them! Nothing good _ever_ happens when we do a hunt in a forest Sam, _you_ know that. There's too much, _stuff,_ for fuglies to hide behind ready to jump us, and there's rain, and mud, and the cold, and the gettin' lost, and the getting separated, and the trees, and the...Oh God..._Camping! _And that's on_ top _of all the_...whassits!"_

Sam tried hard to hide his grin at his brother's despair.

"But Dean, people are going missing. Ordinary people, some with families. They're disappearing and never being seen again. Don't you want to help them? This' our kind of thing, it's what we do. You_ really_ telling me you want to ignore this?"

Dean glared at his smirking brother.

"You're evil, and I hate you."

"No you don't."

Sam watched as Dean's resistance crumbled.

"_Ok_, you win...But I still hate you, so there!"

**xxxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxxx**


	2. Chapter 2

_A.N. A happy Hellooo to those of you who have jumped on board! It's great to know I've got company, and of the finest kind of course :) As promised, Chap 1..._

* * *

**CHAPTER 2**

Hands stuffed into the pockets of his jeans, shoulders slumped, Dean worked hard at maintaining his fully fledged and intentional outward show of misery, as he slowly followed Sam out of the diner and into the warm spring sunlight, crossing the tarmac to where the Impala was parked. It didn't work for him. Sam continued to look amused. Dean knew for certain that his brother had seen through his dramatics when they got to the car and, with a serious look, Sam held his hand out to Dean.

"Keys."

Dean gave a small frown.

"What? _No_! Why?"

"Cos you look like you need some serious sulky time, so _I'll_ drive, you sulk."

Dean instantly straightened up.

"Get lost. I'm _not_ gonna sit an listen to Country an' Wailin' while you drive. That's _guaranteed_ to make me depressed. Where're we headin'?"

...

With his window down, Black Sabbath playing, and his stomach comfortably full, Dean was feeling happily chilled.

"So. The Hunt. What we looking at? And you better not say Wendigo, 'cos man, that's getting old and tired."

Sam laughed.

"Dean, only _you_ could think of Wendigo's as being repetitive! Honestly though? I've no idea at this stage. The report's about a man called Darren Chaplin, 36, wife, three kids, plumber by trade. Er...Says he's the latest in a string of disappearances that have been happening over the past three or fours years. Apparently there's been 11 similar cases reported in that time. Darren is number 12. No bodies ever found blah, blah. _Oh_...Ok. _That's_ interesting!"

Dean glanced at Sam briefly before turning back to the road.

"What is? Don't keep the good stuff back..._Share_."

"Well, seems like every one of the reported cases have all been male. That_ has_ to mean something surely?"

Dean smirked.

"**_Sam!_** I've figured it! It's an amorous and lonely _lady_ Wendigo. _Finally_...You could be on for a hot date Sammy!"

Dean ducked, but couldn't avoid the cuff to the back of his head from Sam.

...

Four hours later Dean drove into the small town bordering the vast forest. Clearly the place had made the most of it's proximity to the wilderness, trading on the hoards of people who came to get away from it all, using the forest as a holiday destination, playground, hunting reserve, wildlife haven, and adventure park; as well as those who simply appreciated the place as an area of outstanding natural beauty. A good number of stores focused on providing everything you could need for the outdoor life; whether that was a family heading to one of the many designated picnic spots, or up to and including the more extreme adventurers looking to canoe the river which cut through a deeper section of the place, or those who's tastes ran more to scaling the huge craggy cliff faces that could be found soaring upward at various spots where the trees thinned out. Sam noticed quite a few larger houses offering bed and breakfast accommodation, as well as signs advertising holiday cabins to let set within the forest and designated camp sites which targeted the family market.

...

Dean nudged Sam, directing Sam's attention to a chalk board outside one of the outdoor stores. On it was written **_Yeti Hunt. Daily, including Sundays. Guided photographic hunt. Suitable for families. Details inside. _**Stuck onto the board were copies of infamous blurred photos of hairy, ape like figures disappearing into trees, and images of large footprints in snow and preserved in dried mud. Sam laughed.

"So! Seems all we gotta do is find a place to book in for the night, sign ourselves up for tomorrow's guided Yeti hunt, gank it, then leave. Easy!"

Dean grinned.

"Unless they've got somebody dressed in a monkey suit who's job is to pop up out of the trees so the tourists can get their pictures. I reckon they would so _not_ be happy at you suddenly pulling out a gun and shooting the poor sap dead. Probably get some good photo's though."

"You could be right...Still, I suppose it _could_ be a real Yeti that's responsible for the disappearances?"

"So...Now you're saying it's an amorous and lonely lady _Yeti_ we're looking for? Honestly? Your dating options just keep on getting better!...Hey! Stop beatin' on me, will you?"

"Sure...Just as soon as _you_ stop deriding my love life!"

"_What_ love life?...Ow!"

"Shut up and find somewhere to park up; there's a tourist information place up ahead. Might as well start there."

...

Inside, the tourist information was all focused on the activities and sights to be seen in the forest areas. A large, framed map of the forest hung on one wall. On it were marked managed areas such as the family nature trails, camping sites, both for tents and camper vans, picnic sites, a couple of fishing lakes, popular climbing venues and so on. The townsfolk were certainly making the most of their natural resource. Dean spotted something and grabbed Sam's arm.

"Look. There's an adventure park with a tree top walk and zip wires. Ha! You screamed like a girl from start to finish the first time you went on a zip wire, remember? One_ loonnnngg_ scream. It was hilarious!"

Sam grimaced.

"Thanks for reminding me. Although...I seem to recall _you_ didn't exactly have fun all the way."

Dean looked shocked.

"How can you say that? I totally _loved_ riding that wire!"

"Yeah, you enjoyed _that_ bit...But I remember waiting for our turn and how you got cold sweats and wanted to puke while you clung on _so _tight to the hand rail round that wooden platform waaay up in the air. _And_ how much dad had to threaten and curse at you, just to get you to climb up to the platform in the _first_ place!"

The pair's trip down memory lane was stopped when a member of the staff team interrupted them.

"You boys intending to visit our forest? Are you climbers? Or just here for the beautiful scenery?"

Turning, Dean's face broke into a broad smile when he saw the pretty brunette who had spoken.

"Well..._I'd_ say the scenery round here's looking good _so_ far!"

He didn't need to look at Sam to know that his brother, right then, was rolling his eyes and cringing. The young woman raised one eyebrow, a twinkle in her hazel eyes.

"Wow! I haven't heard _that_ line in the past 30 minutes! Although, I have to admit, you're a damn sight better looking that the usual kind of douche I get feeding me that crap. My name's Teresa, Terri. Anything I can help you boys with?"

Sam decided to rescue the woman from his brother's attentions, he nodded his head in the direction of the map.

"Er...Yeah, actually, you can. My brother and me, we're...Er...Yeti hunters."

He shot an apologetic look at Dean over Terri's head, in response to his older brother's expression of _what the Hell_? Terri, however, couldn't quite stop her snort of laughter.

"You two? You're kiddin' me!"

Sam managed to look horribly offended by Terri's reaction.

"Actually, _no_. I'm _not_ kidding. There is plenty of evidence across the globe to support the existence of the creature. From footprints to actual sightings. You _are_ aware that almost _daily_ scientists are finding new species of plants and animals, as well as discovering living examples of creatures that were believed for centuries to be extinct? You will, _obviously_, know that life has been found inhabiting places and conditions previously thought impossible for _any_ living thing to survive. Even now, we really have _no idea_ about the types of creatures that may live in the deepest areas of the seas. Take the newly discovered crested gill shark for example. So, given all that...How can you possibly refute the existence of the Yeti?"

Stood behind Terri, Dean mimed giving Sam a round of applause.

"Er...Of course! You're right, obviously. And I'd forgotten all about that new crested shark thing. I'm really sorry, I truly didn't mean to offend you, either of you. Look, how about I start all over again? Ready? _Hi!_ My name's Terri. How can I help you?"

Sam gazed down at the girl with an air of superiority.

"Well...You can _start_ by showing us on this map where the last confirmed sighting of Mr Chaplin was, and then you could tell us anything you may have heard in regards to where he was heading prior to his disappearance."

**xxxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxxx**

_A.N. Thought I ought to set something straight at this point, I don't mind reviews. Nope. Not at all ;p_

_Chick xxx_


	3. Chapter 3

_A.N. I can't believe what a stunningly kind, and fun, set of people you all are. Hearing from you really does make my day, (and I'll even forgive a certain individual for going off to NJ...To the Supernatural con!) OMG :o_

* * *

**CHAPTER 3**

Dean was still grinning broadly when the brothers finally exited the tourist information post.

"Dude, that was awesome! The way you turned all Proff Winchester on her? Outstanding! And where the Hell did you come up with that stuff about the crested gill shark? I've not heard about it. Where was it found? I can't remember it being on _any_ of the shark week stuff."

"That's 'cos I made it up, but I figured _she_ probably wouldn't know that...Can you believe she tried to make out she'd heard about it? At least she could identify roughly which part of the forest we need to be heading for though. Looks like we're gonna need our camping gear. Have we still got that old tent stuffed in car somewhere?"

"Sam. That tent was totally shredded. _Werewolf_...Remember?"

"Were...? _Oh_! Shit, yeah, I remember."

"You _should _do. You _were_ inside the freakin' thing at the time..._I'll_ sure as Hell never forget it. I really thought you were a gonna that night baby brother."

"Yeah...Fun times. I know it's a long shot but, do you think maybe that's what we're dealing with here?"

"Nah...We both know Werewolves, they _always_ leave something behind...Really messy eaters...So, I'm guessing next up is a shopping trip and pump the traders for any local info?"

...

The brothers decided to split the task, with Sam heading to the outdoor activity stores and Dean being designated the job of sorting out the food and drink provisions. Before he left, Sam gave Dean strict instructions to keep it light weight, easy to warm up, and with more nutritional value than simply grabbing a dozen bags of M&M's. They agreed to stick with the Yeti hunter cover story if anyone got curious about them asking questions about the missing males, guessing if people thought that's what they were in town for, it would immediately put them both into the _harmless, gullible, geeks_ category in the minds of the locals. They hoped that meant they would both soon be forgotten by the people they interacted with.

...

When Sam finally appeared out of one of the hiking and camping stores having finished his part of their division of labour, Dean was already leaning up against the Impala, squinting at a free fold up map of the forest that he'd picked up at the tourist place. Sam jogged across the road to join him.

"You manage to get everything sorted Dean?"

Dean looked up from the map, and immediately frowned at the two backpacks he saw Sam carrying, one slung across each shoulder. As far as he could tell, the _least_ ridiculous was dark green in colour and had the image of black boot prints repeated all over it. Dean's frown increased when he saw that the second backpack was royal purple and, even worse, had the logo**_ I_** (Heart) **_Camping _**everywhere in sunshine yellow. Dean could see that both were already partially packed.

"What the _frigg _Sam? You're not _seriously_ expecting me to _carry_ one of those stupid things...Are you?"

Swinging the bags down off his shoulders, Sam looked at them and shrugged.

"Best I could do. They're a good size, they're sturdy and they're waterproof. Besides, who's gonna see you in the middle of the forest? This one's yours."

With a straight face, Sam held out the purple and yellow backpack. Dean shook his head adamantly.

"No way, jerk. _You_ bought it, _you_ carry it! Gimme the green one."

It was Sam's turn to shake his head.

"Nope. _I_ bought 'em, so I get first pick, bitch. And the green one's mine!"

Dean fished in his jacket pocket. Pulling out the keys to the Impala, he jangled them in front of Sam's face.

"Sorry Sammy!...Driver gets to choose, passenger gets to lose. Now...hand it over."

Head tilted to one side, Sam gazed at Dean, and a wicked glint appeared in his eyes.

"Rock, paper scissors?"

...

Sam was still helplessly laughing as Dean pulled out into the stream of traffic.

"_Every_ time dude! It's_ every single time_! You just don't get it, do you?"

"Screw you."

...

Dean followed one of the main signposted tourist roads for a few miles, before turning off onto a much smaller and less well maintained road which meandered it's way through the eastern edges of the forest. He brought the car to a standstill as a roe deer, followed closely by her fawn, trotted across the road in front of them, the mother giving the Impala an indignant glare as she passed by. The only other people they saw was a group of hikers, evenly split between male and female, who all looked to be in their twenties.. They appeared well kitted out and none of the kit looked brand new, suggesting they were actually serious walkers and not just out for a late afternoon stroll. They all gave a friendly wave and smiled as the Impala passed them. Sam was staring at an ordinance survey map of the forest which was spread out on his knees.

"Just under a couple of miles further along there should be some kinda rough track coming up on your side. It looks like it runs into the forest for about half a mile or so before it dead ends. It puts us right inside the area where the Chaplin guy was last seen by anyone, so it's probably as good a place as any to park up. I'm afraid it's on foot from then on. According to the map, if we bear left from the end of the track, we should pick up a stream fairly quickly. Unless you've got a better idea, I suggest we stay by the stream and follow it deeper into the forest. If we_ do_ get lost, we just need to pick up the stream again to find our way out. At a guess we should probably look towards finding somewhere to set up camp around 6 ish. It's just coming up on 4pm now. Sound good to you?"

"Sounds great! Apart from that whole bit about walking and camping. That part?_ Not_ so great. You and me? We're making a deal right here and now. Once we've got this cleared up brother, our next hunt's gonna be in a large town with lots of people and shops, and bars, and sidewalks, and bars, and proper roads,, and bars, and a motel, and some bars. A town where the _only_ trees are either in people's yards, or have been planted just so the neighbourhood dogs can piss up them. Agreed?"

Sam grinned.

"Ok town boy, agreed."

**xxxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxxx**

_A.N. So, the list of suspects to current includes - Wendigo, Yeti or (maybe) Werewolf. I'm aiming for Chap 3 to go up tomorrow, once I figure what it's about!  
__Chick xxx_


	4. Chapter 4

_A.N. Sorry! didn't manage to get this out last night as promised, technical hitch, but all sorted now :)_

* * *

**CHAPTER 4**

The dirt track appeared so suddenly that Dean completely overshot it. It was only due to Sam keeping an eye out that they'd found it at all. Dean slammed the breaks on in response to Sam's shout, and put the Impala into reverse. Coming to a halt alongside the half hidden rough dirt track, Dean stared at it before turning to Sam.

"Are you seriously suggesting I drive my baby up _that_?"

Leaning forward, Sam looked across Dean at the start of the track, and considered his answer carefully.

"_Jeeze!_ No, you're right...It _would_ be stupid. The _last_ thing we need is to wreck the old girl 'cos we kidded ourselves she'd make it up there! Pull her as far into the side of the road as you can, we'll walk from here. She'll be fine left by the roadside."

Dean slowly turned to glare at Sam.

"No _way_ I'm abandoning my baby girl at the roadside; she could be kidnapped or _anything_! _You_ need to have more faith in this _old girl_ brother. Track like that? _No _problem for this tough little lady, is it my sweet? Lets you an' me show gigantica here what we can do...This girl's a classic,_ not _a friggin'_ old lady_!"

Sam made certain to look suitably cowed.

...

Dean clung grimly onto the steering wheel as Sam did his best to stop himself bouncing around, but failed to stop himself bouncing high enough to bump his head against the Impala's roof when Dean negotiated a particularly deep crevice which cut right across the track. As he drove, Dean kept up a muttering of reassurances and encouragement to his "baby". A channel cut into the earth marked the end of the dirt track. Coming to a standstill, Dean stroked the car's dashboard whilst congratulating the car on it's achievement. Sam gave his brother a look of disbelief.

"Damn it Dean! Just gimme a second to get out of here and you can have some alone time with the dashboard, ok?"

Still stroking and patting the dashboard, Dean answered Sam without looking at him.

"Get your mind out the gutter Sammy. This is a _pure _love, stop tainting it with your potty mouth, you'll upset my girl."

Huffing in exasperation, Sam climbed out of the car, grabbing the two backpacks off the back seat. He headed to the back of the car.

...

Opening up the trunk, Sam spotted three store bags containing the food and drink supplies that Dean had shopped for. Sam peered inside the nearest one.

**_"Dean!"_**

The older hunter appeared by Sam's side looking puzzled.

"What? I'm right here. Why're you yellin'?"

Glaring threateningly, Sam held up the thing which had caused him to raise his voice.

"_Dean_...What the **_Hell_**?"

A pleased smile spread over Dean's face.

"I spotted them and figured they're about perfect. You said light weight, easy to warm up, and nutritional. These are all that, _and _they're tasty."

"_Taste_...? _No_ Dean...they're definitely _not_. What they _are_ is dried out noodles mixed with chunks of vaguely different coloured dehydrated who-knows-what, which is then all thrown together to rattle around inside a cheap plastic tub! _Please_...Tell me you bought some _actual_ food as well?"

"Noodles in pots _are_ actual food. I grabbed eight, four each, and _look_...Different flavours!"

Sam wrinkled his nose in disgust when Dean triumphantly held up another couple of the offending items for Sam's inspection. Noticing Sam's expression, Dean shrugged.

"Fine...Suit yourself, you don't _have _to eat them. It just means more for _me_."

Sam nodded.

"Be my guest. So...What _else_ you got in there?

Dean stuck his hand into the the store bag, withdrawing his fist he held out a number of flat, sealed, silver coloured packages. Sam took one and read the information on the packaging.

"Army rations? Ok...At least they'll have a higher nutritional value than the friggin' noodles! What's in the other bags?"

"Coffee. But this' the clever part, look...Coffee bags. You know, like tea bags, but with good stuff in them. See?"

"Yeah. Great. Just explain to me again what was wrong with buying a standard jar of coffee, will you?"

"Easy...No heavy glass jar to carry around. I got us some jerky strips as well and a big bottle of water _and_...pudding!"

Sam gave Dean a look of suspicion.

"Ok. I'll bite. What's for pudding?"

Stealing himself not to grin, Sam watched whilst Dean, almost reverently, retrieved their dessert. And presented Sam with another flat, rectangular silver packet. Sam held it between finger and thumb.

"Erm...nice...er?"

Dean reached out, gently taking the packet back off Sam and staring at it in fascination.

"It's astronaut food. The stuff they eat when they're up in space! It's _ice cream_ dude...From NASA! And there's different flavours. I got us a dozen. You gotta admit, _astronaut_ ice cream, that's pretty damn awesome."

Sam turned his gaze to Dean's third bag of shopping, a look of despair creeping onto his face.

"And that lot?"

Putting his precious ice cream with the rest, Dean duly dragged the final bag across.

"Well...Everything else I got weighs nothing and won't take up much space, so..."

Sam stared as Dean displayed the rest of his treasure. Producing a couple of large size bags of M&M's, a packet of cleansing wipes, two packets of sponge earplugs, insect spray, the latest edition of Busty Asian Beauties...and a six pack.

There were moments, fairly regular moments, when Sam knew without _any_ doubts that one of the following responses was the best thing he could do. He mentally considered each option amongst his "What to do when Dean's been hopeless" list_. Don't react at all...Go with it...Walk slowly away...Wait then try to fix it later whilst Dean wasn't looking...Stay silent...Nod and smile...Pretend you never saw it...Close your eyes and ignore it...Duck_. Sam went with nod and smile.

"Ok...Great, so...Guess we should pack this with the other stuff. Here."

...

Dean's eyes narrowed dangerously as Sam passed him the purple back pack, but he accepted it. Peering into it's depths, he removed a lidded tin bowl with basic cutlery inside.

"Well that's one thing we don't need to carry...What's this?"

Sam glanced at the little 6" by 3" draw string bag that Dean was swinging around.

"It's your waterproof."

"My waterproof what?"

"It' a coat, in case it rains."

Dean stopped swinging the bag around and gazed at it.

"Riighhtt...Sammy...I _hate_ to break this to you, but I didn't bring my Ken doll along with me."

Sam's look said it all.

...

At last the two hunters were ready to set off. Sam produced a small compass from a jacket pocket.

"If we head South West, we should pick up the stream. We can give it around 75 minutes walking before we need to start looking for somewhere to camp up for the night. I'm guessing we just keep our eyes and ears open for anything unusual, or out of place?"

Dean nodded his agreement.

"Seeing as we don't know what we're looking for, we're _probably_ gonna have to hope whatever it is finds _us_. So, lets make sure we make enough noise to attract it if it's in the area, ok?"

"Ok."

Sat on the branch of a nearby shrub, a scarlet chested American Robin cocked it's head on one side as it watched the two, strange looking new comers to the forest, wander off and disappear amongst the trees.

**xxxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxxx**

_A.N. Astronaut dried ice cream - surprisingly tasty!_

_Chick xxx_


	5. Chapter 5

_A.N. Bank holiday weekend, an extra day off work. Loving it!  
__Chick xxx_

* * *

**CHAPTER 5**

**...**

As Sam and Dean disappeared from view, the Robin took flight. It fluttered from tree to tree, following the same direction the two hunters had taken. These bizarre looking creatures weren't hard to follow, what with the noise they made, chattering and laughing as they walked, not caring to look where they put their giant feet, leaving sprinklings of broken little wild flowers in their wake, scuffing lush, emerald green mosses off rocks and branches laying on the forest floor. The robin continued to follow on behind them until the pair reached the stream. He watched as one of them bent down by the stream and dipped it's cupped hands into the water, raising it's hands up to it's mouth, the creature drank. It clearly found the water acceptable, saying something to the other one, who walked forward and knelt down to drink from the stream as well. The robin stayed with them when they moved off again, until the bird was sure that the creatures were intending to following the path of the stream, walking alongside it. Satisfied, the little bird finally left the two creatures and flew away, not once having been noticed by either Sam, or Dean.

...

With the combination of the burble of the crystal clear stream, birdsong all around and the late afternoon spring sunshine glinting through the fresh green of spring foliage forming a canopy overhead, Sam quickly found himself relaxing and simply enjoying the walk. He began to take notice of the variety of wildflowers growing in patches on the forest floor. He laughed at a squirrel who sat upright on the low branch of a tree, chittering at the brothers when they passed by, as though it was telling them off for trespassing through his back yard. He breathed in deeply through his nose, relishing the scent of the forest. He didn't really notice himself beginning to slow down as he walked, falling behind Dean as he continued to absorb the sights and sounds that were all around. The sound of the shallow stream as the water glittered and danced over rocks and pebbles was almost musical. Sam found himself listening closely for it's tune, smiling when it began to sound to him as if the strings of a harp were merrily picking up and following the song of the water. Sam slowed to a halt and, eyes closed, he began to softly hum along to the tune of the water.

...

"Shit!"

Dean stumbled as his foot slipped on a rock hidden amongst the undergrowth,

"Great...Now the dumb ass forest is laying _traps_ for us...And the noise of that friggin' water's really making me need to piss. Wait here Sammy, I gotta visit a tree...Sammy?..._Sam_?...What the Hell?...**_Sam_**!...**_Hey_**!"

From somewhere far, far away, Sam heard someone call out his name. With a heartfelt sigh he reluctantly, and very slowly, blinked open his eyes. He was surprised to see that a figure was jogging towards him. Sam was startled by how close the other man actually was, when the voice had sounded like the guy should be much further away from him. Sam stood, waiting for the man to reach him. _Man?...Brother...Dean? Dean! It's Dean...He looks worried. Something must've happened. _Dean came to a standstill in front of Sam and immediately reached out to lay one hand on Sam's shoulder as he stared hard into his brother's face.

"Sam? You ok? What happened? You looked like you'd zoned out there for a while."

"I did?"

...

Dean's hand moved from Sam's shoulder to his forehead. Irritated, Sam shrugged away from it.

"Stop that, I'm ok, I feel fine."

"Care to explain Statue Sammy then? When I turned round you were standing back here with a drippy smile on your face, you didn't answer when I shouted and, for a while there, you just looked confused. Any of that sound _fine_ to you?"

"Dean, really. For the first time in..._forever_, I felt relaxed. This place is _stunning_. I just wanted to stop awhile and enjoy it. And yeah, I agree I _was_ confused. I was confused about why you were screaming and yelling at me. I dunno, maybe I _did_ drift off briefly but Dean, look around you. Take a proper look at this place...It's perfect!"

"Right...So now I'm supposed to believe you'd just turned all nature boy, huh? Well, I'm sorry Sam, but I'm not buying it. You weren't just _daydreaming_ kiddo, seemed to me your batteries had died."

Sam frowned.

"You think it was something supernatural? Well, I don't. You know...Maybe you should try it sometimes dude."

"What? Sam, you're not makin' any sense. _What_ should I try?"

Sam turned his head and gazed at the forest surrounding them, before looking back at Dean.

"You should try stopping sometimes. Just _stop _Dean, and look around you...Wherever you are. Take a moment to remind yourself why you really do what you do, what it's for, what it is that you're protecting. It's not just about the _hunt_ Dean. It's about people, and places, places like this...I honestly think you've forgotten that. Me? I just wanted to remember, ok? You ready to carry on?"

Sam turned and began walking again, leaving Dean to stare after him.

"The Hell?"

**xxxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxxx**

_A.N. So, was it, or wasn't it? Damned if _**I**_ know!_

_Chick xxx :D_


	6. Chapter 6

_A.N. New chapter time again and, although I always try to respond personally to those of you who leave a review, I want to say a general Thank You to all of you, and to those who are following this little story. The real treat for me is having some familiar names from my last fic joining me with this one. If I'm honest, I think I started this story 'cos I couldn't bear to lose contact with you after you made writing the last fic so much fun! Selfish, huh? And a little reminder for **Mb64** - _STOP PMing ME AND FOCUS ON JENSON & JARED - **Unbelievable****!** ;p _(I love that woman) Chick xxx_

* * *

**CHAPTER 6**

**ooo**

Dean had learned long ago to never ignore the tingling down his spine when something seemed not quite right. Sammy might convince_ himself_ that he was fine, but Dean had that tingle right now. He turned his thoughts to what kind of supernatural thingy-me-bob might cause someone to zone out the way Sam seemed to have. He ruled out a Djin, they needed a base to operate from, somewhere to hang the bodies whilst it fed. But, Sam simply day-dreaming didn't feel right either. Obviously none of the original three suspects fitted the scenario, and he hadn't seen a hypnotist swing down from the trees. Couldn't have been a witch, they both had their hex bags on them. Dean considered possession, and put this on to his mental "possible' list, at the same time wondering what the effect would be on Sam if Dean said "Christos" within Sam's earshot. Dean decided to give it a go the first chance he got. In the meantime, he resolved to keep a closer eye on his younger brother. He wasn't prepared to allow Sam to simply become another name, entered onto the list of the "missing."

...

The brothers walked along in silence, Dean walking behind Sam, refusing to let Sam out of his sight. Eventually Sam stopped.

"This looks like a good spot to camp for the night, ground's fairly flat and mossy. There's even two boulders to sit on. Why don't you go get wood for a fire, I'll pitch the tent. Ok?"

Dean was reluctant to leave Sam alone, but neither did he feel like an argument, and he sure as Hell wasn't going to be lumbered with attempting to get a tent up. He sighed and shrugged off the hated back pack.

"Fine, whatever."

Sam frowned as he watched Dean wander away, heading further into the trees. Something seemed off with Dean. Sam wondered whether it had been a wise move to have sent his brother off alone. He checked his watch, deciding to give Dean ten minutes before he went looking for him. The last thing he needed was for Dean's name to be added to the list of those who had gone missing. Sam resolved to keep a close eye on Dean throughout the coming night.

...

Stooping frequently to pick up dry pieces of wood, Dean stayed alert to anything that seemed out of place. He worked hurriedly, wanting to get back to Sam as soon as he could. A rustling in the leaves of a tree to his right made Dean look up. At first Dean couldn't see anything, but then he spotted it. A robin, half hidden amongst the foliage, brazenly stared back at Dean. Dean grinned.

"Hey there fella."

The bird flew down out of the tree and landed on the patch of ground where Dean had just picked up a couple of good sized branches, and began to grub around for any insects which may have been hiding under the wood. Remembering Sam's words, Dean stopped and focused his attention on simply watching the Robin. The bird paid Dean no more heed and, after a couple of minutes, Dean was bored of standing staring at a bird scratching for it's supper. Turning, he began making his way back to Sam. The robin watched the hunter until he disappeared out of sight.

...

Sam had already got the tent up and was busily digging a small fire pit using a short handled garden trowel. Dean was surprised to notice an expression of relief on Sam's face when he realised Dean was back.

"You ok?"

Sam smiled.

"Sure...You?"

"Yeah. I'm good."

Dean deposited his firewood and turned to look at the tent.

"That's...bijou. It's just for you, right?"

Sam chuckled.

"No Dean, that's for the both of us. You have to sort of wriggle into it, feet first."

Dean gave a slow nod.

"I see...Gonna get kinda cosy in there, don't you think?"

Sam glanced across to the small cocoon like structure, a mischievous grin on his face.

"We'll be fine...So long as you don't get all handsy."

Eyebrows arched, Dean turned to look at his brother.

"_Handsy_? I don't get handsy! What do you _mean_, handsy?"

Laughing, Sam returned to building the fire. Happy that they were ok again, Dean began to search for the coffee and whatever Sam had brought to boil water in.

...

Once Dean was lost from view, the Robin took flight. Without stopping, the little bird journeyed back to where the one who commanded him was waiting.

...

Each with a plastic mug of coffee, the brothers had the ordinance survey map of the forest spread out on the floor between them and were trying to figure out roughly whereabouts along the stream's length they had set up camp.

"Honestly Dean, I think we've stopped at this point on the map. Look, there's the bend in the stream that we can see up ahead and here, see that small area without trees? That's where we are right now."

Dean glanced around the area they were in, then back to the map.

"Ok. I'll accept that, and we know that Chaplin was in this neck of the woods, pun _totally_ intentional, the last time anyone remembered seeing him, right?"

"Right."

"Well, the only cave systems I can see are over at the North Eastern side in these cliffs. I've not noticed any old mines marked anywhere, but over here, up at the Northern edge, there's a quarry of some kind. We know Wendigo's are terrotorial and they tend to stick to hunting in the area close to where they're holed up so they can get their prey back to their den quickly."

"So you're saying it's not a Wendigo we're after?"

"I'm saying, it's unlikely."

Standing up, Sam pulled something out of the back pocket of his jeans then hunkered back down next to his brother again.

" Grabbed this back in town, don't know if it'll be useful or not."

"What is it?

...

Deeper into the forest, a Robin flew into a small glade. A hand stretched out, inviting the bird to perch on it The Robin fluttered over, landing on the hand.

"Show me what you have seen, little one."

**xxxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxxx**

_A.N. I totally loved how_ everyone_ who commented on Chap 5 said something along the lines of "Yes, I think it was supernatural, or then again, maybe not." You are clearly a decisive bunch! :D Suspect number 1, a Wendigo, can be discounted now._

_Chick xxx_


	7. Chapter 7

_A.N. Hello again. Just to warn that I can't guarentee a chapter per day during the week, have to show my face at work and all; but I will post chapters as quickly as I can, ok? _Chick xxx

* * *

**CHAPTER 7**

**ooo**

Dean scowled at the leaflet Sam had handed over to him. Seeing his older brother's expression, Sam sucked in his lips to stop himself laughing.

"You have got to be freakin' kidding me? "_The Yeti Hunter's Full Colour Map of_ _Yeti Sightings Within The GreatForest. Sixty Years of Searching."_ Unbelievable."

Sam pointed to the leaflet.

"Open it up...It's got a chart inside showing how many sightings there have been in each decade. The Seventies look like they were pretty busy."

Dean opened the fold out leaflet. Covering the inside was a simple and brightly coloured map of the forest. Dotted all over it were tiny little Yeti shapes. Each one was filled with the colour which, on a bar chart, denoted which decade the sighting was supposed to have occurred. On the sightings chart, the Seventies column was coloured pale blue, and 39 pale blue yeti shapes could be seen, standing around at various points on the map. A second chart showed how many of the apparent sightings per decade occurred on the Guided Yeti Hunts. Unsurprisingly, it seemed to be the vast majority. Sam pointed again at the map, to a spot where a dozen little Yetis of various hues stood huddled together.

"So, I figured maybe we should head over to this area here where there's been most sightings over the years. Seems to be a real hot spot for Yetis. Our chances of bumping into it look really good. It's roughly a twelve mile walk. I worked out that if we set off early, we should get there around late morning; we hang around for a bit until the Yeti pops up, kill it, and could probably get back here by late afternoon or early evening. Then we pack up camp, and we can be on our way. Job done! What do you think? _Or_, I've got an alternative option you might want to go for and that I actually think is the better choice. Plan B says we still get up early, but then we drive into town and sign ourselves up for the guided hunt. Those guides will know_ exactly_ where to find the Yeti. Hell, they've probably even got an agreement with him about what time he'll let himself be seen. Looking at the pictures he won't be hard to spot, I mean, a twelve foot yeti with it's pelt in one of those colours? Not exactly camouflage, is it? I'll happily go with _either_ plan, you choose."

Horror and disbelief at Sam's proposal settled onto Dean's face.

"Are you _serious_? "

The beginnings of a grin of amusement tugged at the corners of Sam's mouth, he rapidly reigned it in.

"Well, _yeah_. You saw the graph for yourself...It's kinda logical, isn't it? Most of the sightings were in that spot, and the highest number of sightings out of the total happen on the guided tour. On that basis, we can't really fail! I vote we sign up."

Dean folded the leaflet up and put it down at his feet, a small frown on his face. He shifted his position on his boulder seat, ensuring his was directly facing Sam. He leaned forward, resting his forearms across his legs as he gazed intently at his brother. Sam waited, a picture of innocence as he gazed back at Dean.

"Sam..._Sammy_..."

"Yes Dean?"

"Are you _sure_ you're feeling alright bro?"

"Yes, Dean."

"You don't feel off? Have a headache? Blood sugar took a nose dive? Temperature a little high? Any strange hangovers from your, er...daydreaming episode?

"No, Dean."

Dean's frown deepened.

"Hang on!...You're_ totally_ playing me! Aren't you Sammy? _Not exactly camouflage_."

Sam's face finally split into a broad grin.

"Yes, Dean."

The peace of the forest was shattered when Dean launched himself at his brother, reaching out to grab him. Sam neatly dodged out of Dean's reach, and set off racing through the trees, laughing. Dean swiftly gave chase, shouting threats and promises as he ran.

...

Dean was fast on his feet, but Sam had the advantage of his length of stride, and he soon began to pull away from Dean, swerving in and out of trees, leaping over short shrubs, crashing through swathes of ferns and ducking under low branches. Very soon Dean had lost sight of Sam and was now reliant on being guided by the sound of Sam's teasing shouts, and the noise he made speeding through the forest. That is, until very suddenly, there was no sound at all signalling the wearabouts of the younger Winchester.

...

Dean skidded to a standstill and listened intently, but still heard no noises giving him any clues as to where Sam had gone. Dean's anxiety levels immediately shot skyward. He began to walk in the direction he had last heard anything from Sam. His senses tuned to respond to anything untoward, Dean continuously scanned the area all around him, looking for any tracks or signs of a struggle.

"SAAAAM...**_Answer me dammit_**...**_I'm serious! Stop playing Hide Go Seek and get your_** **_ass back here_**!..SAMMY!"

**xxxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxxx**

_A.N. Oops!  
__Chick xxx_


	8. Chapter 8

_A.N. Yey for the weekend :D Also, I will be catching up on responding to you comments for the previous chapter later tonight. To be honest, I've just been getting in from work and doing my very best slob impression, (you should see it, it's spectacular). Chick xxx_

* * *

**CHAPTER 8**

**ooo**

Snapped twigs and sticks on the forest floor, flattened ferns, crushed mosses...All combined to guide Dean along the route that Sam's laughing run had taken him. Hyper aware, Dean followed in Sam's footprints, forcing himself not to rush, to move at a steady pace, to make certain he didn't miss any signs indicating that Sam had passed that way. The forest was becoming thicker, with trees crowding in on each other, blocking out more light, making the surroundings darker, heavier. Wild flowers were not so evident, being replaced by ivy, creeping over the ground and twisting it's way on thick, knotted stems up the trunks of trees. In the gloom of the trees, the air felt cooler and the sound of birdsong was replaced by the occasional calls of woodpigeons and the flap of their wings as they moved from branch to branch.

...

Dean's anxiety was now combined with anger and frustration. He didn't know what was out there, taking people, but he _hated_ it for choosing Sam and he looked forward to showing it just how much when he found it _And I **will** find you, I swear!_ Looking ahead, Dean saw that there appeared to be an area where the foliage of the tall trees thinned out a little. Thick, golden shafts of evening sunlight speared through the gloom, floodlighting the darting dance of midges and a myriad of other tiny hovering and flying insects. The tracks left behind by Sam's passing, lead Dean in that direction.

...

Hurrying now, Dean pushed though bracken and shade loving woodland shrubs, emerging into a small, roughly circular glade, no more than six yards across. Sam was stood at it's centre, lit by one of the rays of sunlight, his face turned up to the sky, eyes closed and a peaceful smile on his face. He made no movement in response to his brother's arrival. Slowly, as though approaching a wild deer, Dean crept closer to him.

"Sammy? _Hey_...You ok there?"

At first there was no response from Sam and he remained perfectly still. With some trepidation, Dean touched Sam's arm softly.

"Sam...It's time you opened your eyes now. I've been looking for you."

Sam lowered his head and blinked his eyes open. He turned to look at Dean, and the glorious smile that he gave his older brother instantly transported Dean back in time, to the memory of baby Sammy's first real smile; the one he gifted to Dean on a Sunday morning when Dean peered down over the side of the baby's crib to say his regular _'Ello_ _bwuvver_.

"Dee?"

Dean returned his brother's smile.

"Yeah. It's me. What you doin' Sammy?"

Sam put a finger up to his lips.

"Shhh...Listen."

Dean did, but heard nothing out of the ordinary.

"What am I listening to Sam?"

"The harp. You _can_ hear it...Can't you?"

"No Sam. I can't."

Sam frowned and looked puzzled.

"That's strange...Don't you think?"

Dean was floundering, beginning to feel out of his depth.

"Where's the sound coming from? Which direction?

Sam glanced around the clearing dreamily.

"Everywhere."

Dean's mind was racing. _Some kinda enchantment, __**has**__ to be. Gotta break it's hold. Gotta get Sam away from here. Get him safe. Keep a hold of him, or I'm gonna lose him._

Dean took a deep breath, threw his head back, and yelled,

"SHUT THE FUCK UP!"

...

Half a dozen terrified woodpigeons took flight, and Sam himself took a rapid step backward, startled. He began frantically looking around the glade, panting rapid breaths. Dean's grip on his arm tightened and he gave Sam a shake.

"_Hey_...You with me now? **_Sam_**?"

Sam stared at Dean, looking as though he had just woken from a dream.

"Yeah...Yeah, I'm here...Er...Dean?...Where_ is_ here? How'd I get here? _Shit_! Dean. What _the Hell's_ going on?"

Dean began to move, tugging on Sam's arm.

"First things first little brother...Lets get away from here."

...

By the time the brothers made it back to camp, the sky was glowing red, pinks and golds from the setting sun, and Sam was shivering. Dean sat his brother down on one of the boulder seats. Going to the low slung tent, he dragged one of the sleeping bags out. Returning to Sam he wrapped it around his brother like a cloak before turning his attention to the remains of the fire, re-kindling it with dry twigs before placing larger pieces of wood onto it. Very soon he had the fire burning cheerily again and heating up a metal pan of water for coffee. Checking on Sam, Dean was relieved to see that Sam was no longer shivering quite so violently. He squatted down on the floor next to the younger hunter.

"Feelin' better?"

"Yeah...Some. What happened back there Dean?"

"How much can you remember?"

Sam stared thoughtfully at the fire.

"I remember I was winding you up about the guided Yeti hunt and took off running with you right behind me. I...I think I managed to lose you...And then there was this music, _unbelievable_ music. And...I think you told the trees off? Yeah, that's right, you did. And then you were dragging my ass back here. That's about it."

Dean nodded his understanding before bowing his head and staring at his own feet thoughtfully. Sam pulled the sleeping bag tighter around himself. Dean lifted his head and stood up, turning away from Sam.

"Dean? What you doin'?"

Dean glanced back down at his brother when he heard the underlying worry in Sam's tone.

"Grabbing myself a beer. You want one?"

Sam drained his coffee.

"No thanks, another one of these would be good though?"

Sam's worry increased when Dean simply nodded and took the mug from him and went to make him a second drink without any wise ass comment, handing the fresh coffee to him before going to break open the six pack. Walking back over to Sam, Dean glanced upwards at the sky which was now streaked with mauves, deep sapphire blues and lipstick pinks as the sun dropped low in the sky and dusk rushed forward to take it's place. Dean sat himself down on the second boulder. He raised the bottle of beer in Sam's direction before swallowing half of it down, then wiping his sleeve across his chin to catch a dribble before it dripped onto his tee.

"Well Sammy...I'm not saying I like it, 'cos I really _don't_...But, it looks to me like _you're_ the bait for this job."

**xxxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxxx**

_A.N. To all you Sam folk, please forgive me for picking on him. I won't hurt him **too** much...Honest ;p_


	9. Chapter 9

_A.N. Feels like ages since I posted anything and, believe it or not, I think there's only 3 or 4 chapters to go now (although I'm crap at guessing). Chick xxx_

* * *

**CHAPTER 9**

**ooo**

Seeing the anger on Dean's face at the knowledge that his younger brother was being targeted, Sam gave Dean a small smile.

"_Hey_, try looking on the up side. I've never heard of a harp playing Yeti, so at least we know _that's_ not what we're looking for."

Dean glared at Sam.

"Not funny."

"It _definitely_ was! So...How do you want to _play_ this?"

"_Sam_!"

"Sorry. Seriously though?"

Dean arched his eyebrows.

"Seriously? That depends...Don't suppose you brought any handcuffs, did you?"

"_No_! I _didn't_."

"Ok...Not a problem. I'm sure I can find something in our kit that I can use to tie you to me."

"Dean! _You wouldn't_!"

Dean gazed at his younger brother steadily.

"Wanna try me?"

...

Aromatic pots of noodles in hand, the brothers knelt side by side on the forest floor, staring at Sam's ordinance survey map by torchlight. Dean prodded a spot on the map.

"I'd say that's about where I found you enjoying your own private concert. You dodged and weaved when you ran, but you didn't stray too far off a roughly straight line. The distance is about right from here, and the forest definitely gets thicker in that area."

Sam nodded.

"Ok...So, anything in the area look interesting?"

Both brother's bent closer to the map, inspecting the terrain, looking for anything that might be worth exploring.

"There's lots of trees."

Sam bumped Dean's shoulder with his own.

"Well done Mr Observant...Hang on...Got something. There. About three miles due south."

Dean looked to where Sam pointed. The map showed the densely packed trees thinning out again around one small area where, according to the map, a tall, rocky structure soared up from the forest floor.

"What do you think?"

Dean shrugged.

"Can't see much else showing. Gotta be worth checking out. Agreed?"

Sam nodded.

"Agreed. First one up makes coffee, then we pack and head out."

"Fine. I'll wake you at first light."

Sam looked at Dean with a frown.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Dean began to raise himself up from the floor.

"It means, little brother, that I'm keeping watch tonight. Don't want you going off on a midnight stroll all on your own, do we?"

"But..."

"But nothin'. It's settled."

...

Dean sat, staring unblinkingly into the flames of the small camp fire, half empty bottle of beer dangling from one hand, held around it's lip between two fingers. To anyone who happened to see him, from his outward appearance they would be forgiven for thinking the young man was mesmerised by the dancing flames. Internally however, he was busy; his mind raking through old hunts, snatches of lore and pieces of legends, trying to uncover anything that seemed similar to that which was currently happening to Sam. Sam himself had disappeared into their small tent an hour before. Dean had listened to his brother trying to get comfortable for a while, but he had now been quiet for the past forty minutes. Dean assumed he had finally fallen asleep, so he was surprised to hear his brother's tired voice call to him. Dean didn't move from his spot in front of the fire.

"What? I thought you were in the land of nod?"

"Can't sleep."

"You looked like you could sleep standing up earlier."

"M'tired, but can't sleep."

"So...You expecting me to sing you a lullaby?"

"S'nice idea."

"Not gonna happen."

"_Deeaann_."

With a sigh and a shake of his head, Dean stood up and stretched before wandering over and squatting down by the low, arched, hole that served as the entrance to the maggot like structure of the tent. He sniggered when he saw Sam's head, hair flopping back from his face and forehead, poking out of his sleeping bag; his wide, pink tinged, eyes gazing up at Dean.

"Ok, I'm here. Why can't you sleep?"

"Feel guilty... 'Cos you're awake."

Dean rubbed a hand over his eyes.

"Well, _don't _be. It's my job to watch out for you. I'm fine. Now go to sleep."

"I will if you will."

"_Sammy_..."

"S'a teeny tent n' I'm stuck in a bag. No _way_ I c'n go walk without you know... Dean?"

Dean finally nodded.

"Ok. Move over Sasquatch, so I can squeeze in."

Fully clothed and still wearing his shoes, Dean wriggled feet first into the tent and on top of his sleeping bag. Sam gave him a sleepy smile.

"G'night Dean."

With care, Dean managed to turn over in the confines of the tent until he had his back to his brother.

"Good night Sammy."

...

Dean awoke with a heavy weight pressing down across his chest, an odd brown light surrounding him and something soft irritating his cheek. For a brief moment he was completely disorientated, and he froze whilst he attempted to figure out where he was. _Tent...Stupid brown maggot tent. So the heavy thing?_ Dean lifted his head to see what was pressing down onto him. The soft cheek irritation fell away as Dean moved and he glanced sideways, very nearly banging noses with his sleeping brother; who's hair seemed to have taken over most of the area and, Dean realised, was the thing which had been tickling his cheek. Now back in the game, Dean knew before looking that the weight on his chest was one of his brother's arms. Dean laid his head back down and, with a grimace, tried shifting further away from Sam's face. An idea struck him and he turned his head again towards Sam. Very softly, he began to blow in his brother's face. He grinned as Sam wrinkled and twitched his nose in his sleep, feeling the draft Dean was creating. Dean blew harder, until Sam twisted his face away with a small snuffling noise, but his arm stayed where it was. Dean rolled his eyes. As carefully as he was able, he began to attempt to slide head first out of the tent and out from under Sam's arm. Responding to Dean's movement, it seemed that the sleeping Sam wasn't too happy about part of his bed trying to escape, and he rolled back towards Dean, encircling Dean's waist with his arm and, at the same time grabbing hold of a handful of Dean's tee as if he was trying to pin down an unruly teddy bear. Dean gave up his attempts to not to wake his brother, and instead gave Sam a firm prod with one finger in his ribs, instantly regretting his action. Sam went from sleep to awake and ready to fight off the intruder faster than a blink. Dean found himself shoved to the ground, with Sam still half inside his sleeping bag and straddled over him, a forearm pressed firmly against Dean's throat.

"What the...?"

"_Gerroff_ me you oversized gorilla! _Jeeze_!"

Moving his arm from Dean's throat, Sam stared down at his brother in confusion.

"What're you doin'?"

Dean stopped struggling and glared back up at Sam.

"I was _trying_ to get out of this bloody stupid _tent_ and make coffee, but _you_ were cuddling me like a girl."

"Was not!"

"Oh, but you sooo were, _Samantha_."

"Liar!"

"Sam? Look, before you carry on trying to deny your inner girliness...Any chance you could..._Get the frigg off me_?"

"_Oh_...Yeah...Uh...Sorry!"

...

Dean insisted on his astronaut ice-cream for breakfast and he made is way through one making appreciative noises, no _way_ was he going to admit it was bloody awful. He forced the last of it down with his coffee, unable to hide his grimace at the bizarre combination.

"You hated that, didn't you?"

"What? No. It was..._different_ is all. Anyway, last night, after you'd gone to bed, I was thinking about what we know so far and about your muzak. I was trawling through past hunts, bits of research I remember. Didn't help then, but...does _Fosse grim_ mean anything to you?"

**xxxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxxx**

_A.N. Well? Does it? Chick xxx_


	10. Chapter 10

_A.N. It's been so long, I won't be surprised if you've given up! My only excuse is a very heavy week at work leaving me doing nothing in the evening other than slobbing. (Not a pretty sight)._

_Chick xxx_

* * *

**CHAPTER 10**

**000**

Sam looked thoughtful as he cast around, trying to link the words with anything he had read.

"Not sure, something about drownings?"

"Right, and the interesting part is how it attracts it's victims. Fosse grimm is a male water sprite, he lures people in with the sound of violin music. Tends to hang around lakes and streams so yeah, victims end up drowning.

"Ok well, first, I'm impressed you remembered something like that, but, it's _definitely_ a harp I'm hearing. You sure about the violin part?"

"Pretty sure. The other thing that doesn't fit is that it targets women and kids. Although, I suppose it _could've_ made a mistake here...What with the hair and the hugging. _Yeah_...That'll be it, he thinks you're my girlfriend. _Oh, man_...Wouldn't old Fossey be in for a shock?"

Sam's glare did nothing to dispel Dean's delighted laughter and, infectious as it was, Sam couldn't help but join in.

...

Tent and sleeping bags packed, fire out and fire pit buried, Dean knelt on the floor considering the weapons they had brought with them from the Impala. Sam looked over Dean's shoulder.

"What're you thinking?"

"That we should keep everything to hand seeing as we don't know what we're hunting and, that there's a really good chance you'll go all daydreamy again, so whatever you're carrying is likely to be pointless."

"Oh...Thanks for the vote of confidence!"

"Just saying it like it is dude."

"Fine. But what if _you_ get left behind like last time? _I_ might be the one who gets a shot at our fugly, except I'm hanging around useless, waiting for the slacker at the back whose got all the damn weapons!"

"Ok, ok. We'll split it. I'll keep the Glock and the real ammo, you get the Taurus and the salt rounds. You might as well carry the holy water, it's you it fancy's, you're probably going to be up close and personal before I am. I'll keep the rosary, salt bag and the oil. You ok with the bronze dagger if I get the sword?"

"Fine by me. Just a couple more things and we're about set. Wait here."

"Why? Where're you goin'? I'd feel a whole lot happier if you stay in sight."

"Stop fretting, I will be."

Dean began distributing his weapons about his person, at the same time keeping an eye on his brother. He watched as Sam walked over to a graceful looking tree. Breaking a branch off, Sam snapped it in half across his knee. Taking a penknife from one of his jacket pockets, he wandered back to Dean whilst quickly sharpening one end of one of the two pieces of wood. He tossed the sharpened stake to Dean before beginning to work on the second one.

"Ash...Might come in useful."

...

Sam took a last look around, making certain they had left their night's camping spot in good order. Dean stood waiting, playing with Sam's compass.

"Do you know how to drive that thing?"

"Ass. You ready?"

Sam nodded.

"Yup...Lets do this."

The two hunters strode off, under the watchful eye of a small, scarlet chested robin.

"How far roughly to where you found me yesterday?"

"I'd say around four hundred, four fifty yards or so. You travelled in a kinda zig zaggy straight line."

Sam glanced at Dean and grinned.

"How's that go again? A zig zaggy_ straight _line?"

Dean simply glowered back at his brother.

...

Sam began to drop behind Dean, his pace slowing as he stared around. Worried, Dean came to a halt.

"You ok Sam?"

"Yeah, it's just...non of this looks familiar."

"Trust me, we're heading in the right direction."

"Sure, I don't remember this part is all. How much further?"

Dean gazed around, taking a rough guess at how close they were to the glade.

"Should be about twenty yards up ahead. Hey...Sam...Look."

Turning to look in the direction that Dean was pointing, Sam spotted another robin, this one was sitting in the lower branches of a tree and busily grooming itself under one wing. Dean lowered his voice to a whisper.

"Let's see what he makes of this."

From out of a pocket, Dean produced a sachet of astronaut ice cream. Sam stared in mock horror.

"Dean! _No!_ I'm pretty certain that qualifies as cruelty to birds."

Dean broke off a few crumbs of the pink concoction and threw them onto the floor near the robin. After only a couple of seconds hesitation, the bird hopped down to Dean's offering and began pecking at the tit-bits.

"See? He likes it, don't you fella? Here you go, but that's your lot. Don't want to clog up those little birdy arteries."

Leaving the robin enjoying it's unexpected breakfast, the two hunters walked on, Dean now leading the way.

...

"Up ahead. That's were I found you. Anything looking familiar round here?"

The morning sun wasn't in the right position to shine through the tree tops and into the small clearing. At this time of day the clearing, with it's high roof of thick foliage, was gloomy, the damp air cool, and the place had more than a hint of the mysterious. The trees surrounding it had trunks that were heavy with moss pads and thick limbed climbing ivy's, with leave such a dark green, that they appeared almost black in the dim light. The clearing floor was a spongy bed made up of year upon year of fallen leaves. Still soaked with morning dew the smell was pungent, it was autumn, and fungi, and soil. Sam looked around, frowning.

"I _really_ can't remember being here, it's kinda freaky."

A flash of brown and red flew past Sam, and the robin landed on the clearing floor, looking up at Dean expectantly. Both brothers stared back down at the little creature.

"I think that's your little friend again, back for more dry ice cream."

Dean's eyes narrowed and he looked at the bird thoughtfully whilst he produced the sachet and threw it a few more ice cream crumbs. He turned his attention back to Sam, watching as his brother walked slowly into the centre of the clearing.

"You hearing any hot harp tunes yet?"

Sam shook his head.

"Nope. No harping happening, and I feel fine. Let's give it a minute."

The brothers stood in expectant silence, Dean primed and ready to move if anything seemed to threaten Sam. The whole of his being was tuned to respond to any hint of the supernatural, so when the quiet was broken by the sudden eruption of bird song from the little robin who had become impatient for more food, Dean physically jumped in surprise.

"_Jeeze bird_! Quit that, will you?...Damn near gave me a heart attack!"

...

Giving up on hanging around in the clearing, the pair set off again, making their way further into the depths of the forest as they followed the map in the direction of the rocky heights. Dean tried a few times to shoo his newest companion away, but the robin steadfastly refused to stop tracking the hunters, flying from tree to tree, always just behind them. Although initially Sam found it vaguely amusing, it wasn't long before he began to became disquieted by the sheer persistence of the bird.

"Dean? Do me a favour will you?"

Walking in step with Sam, Dean raised an eyebrow in enquiry.

"I want you to break up the whole of what's left of that ice cream crap and throw it _all_ down for the bird."

The expression on Sam's face told Dean that something might be wrong here and, without argument, he did as Sam asked. Whilst the bird began to happily tuck in, the brothers turned away and carried on walking.

...

"_Dammit_!"

Sam's curse was little more than a whisper. Dean had spotted the return of the robin at the same time as Sam did. Without needing to voice anything, both hunters chose not to stop, but continued moving, keeping their pace steady.

"So...I'm guessing Tweety Pie back there _is_ the same little dick we've been seeing all along? No_ way _he's managed to eat his way through all that shit in this short a time. Damn thing's been keeping an eye on us ever since we first got to the forest, hasn't it?"

Sam nodded, his face grim.

"Great!"

Dean's hand carefully reached around to the back of his jeans.

**XxxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxxx**

_A.N. Could I just point out that I have nothing against birds and, in fact, I put food out in my garden for them every single day (and if I'm late, the buggers start lining up and staring through the window at me)._

_Chick xxx_


	11. Chapter 11

A.N. I'm sorry, ok? Chick ;p

* * *

**CHAPTER 11**

**000**

Sam's eyes opened wide when he saw the Glock in Dean's hand, and as Dean began to raise his arm ready to take aim, Sam blocked it with his own arm.

"_Dean_! You _can't. _You can't shoot it!"

Dean glowered at Sam.

"Why the Hell not?"

Sam glanced at the little bird sat by the powdered food, it's gaze firmly fixed on Dean.

"Because...Because it's...Because..."

"Solid reason you've got there Sammy. Glad you shared it with me! Now, let go of my freakin' arm and let me _shoot_ the miserable little.,.,.,.Oh.._Great_!...Really! That's just _awesome_! What're we supposed to do _now_? It's probably flying it's little brown tail feathers as fast as it can, straight back to it's sender. _Nice one_ Sam!"

Sam bowed his head, not wanting to meet Dean's angry glare.

"I'm _sorry_, ok? But I..."

Dean tucked the Glock back into the waistband of his jeans and turned his back on Sam.

"Forget it, just...Forget it, ok? C'mon, let's get moving, we've still got a way to go."

There was no reply from Sam. Still annoyed but not wanting to stand around arguing, Dean strode off in front.

...

For a while there were no words spoken between the brothers. Dean figured that Sam was either having a good sulk of his own, or thought that Dean was in sulk mode. Eventually Dean attempted to instigate a conversation.

"Got any ideas in that brilliant brain of yours what kind of fugly could be using Tweety as a sidekick?...Sammy? Ideas?...Thoughts?..._Anythin'_?"

Dean sighed. Coming to a stand still, he turned around, intending to apologise to his brother and reassure him that they were still good.

"Look Sammy, I ... _Shit_!"

Dean could still glimpse the partially hidden figure of Sam through the trees. It didn't seem as though he had moved at all, he appeared to be still standing in the same spot where he had stopped Dean from shooting the robin. Dean ran to him.

...

Sam was standing motionless, his back pack on the ground at his feet. His head was cocked to one side and his expression distant, he was clearly listening to something, and he was quite obviously entranced by it. Not wanting to make any sudden movements, Dean slowly removed his own pack. He quickly scanned the area looking for, but seeing no sign of, the robin. Moving carefully, Dean placed himself in Sam's line of sight.

"Hey princess. You got some good sounds going on there brother?"

There was no acknowledgement from Sam in response to Dean's presence. Moving close up into Sam's personal space, Dean passed a hand back and forth in front of Sam's eyes. Sam was blind to Dean's action. Sam was definitely concentrating on something, but it certainly wasn't Dean. Recalling how effective it had been before, Dean drew a deep breath and hollered.

"PIPE DOWN AND QUIT WITH THE FRIGGIN' HARPING!"

To his surprise, Sam turned his back on Dean, and began walking.

"Sam? Where you going dude? Sammy?"

Once again Dean placed himself directly in front of his brother and, although Sam drew to a halt, he still didn't acknowledge Dean in any other way. His entire focus continued to be directed at something that Dean wasn't a part of.

"_Screw_ this..._Sam_! C'mon, **_fight it_**, come back to me!"

Dean reached out and gripped Sam's shoulder with one hand, squeezing it hard. He cupped Sam's cheek in his other hand, hoping that the physical contact might help to break the trance that Sam was in. Dean stared into his brother's eyes, desperately searching for some sign, _any_ sign, that Sam was coming round. Because of that, he didn't pick up on the slow movement of Sam's free arm.

"**_Sam_**! _Focus_! It's not real. _The damn music's not_ .,.,.,.

Dean didn't get to complete his sentence, and the sound of birds taking to the air erupted all around in response to the deafening noise of a single gun shot. Dean's hands dropped away from Sam's face and shoulder. Sam had already begun to walk away again, before Dean's body hit the ground.

**xxxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxxx**

_A.N. I _said_ I was sorry! Chick xxx_


	12. Chapter 12

_A.N. Another short one, but I wanted to keep this part contained and separate. Enjoy. Chick xxx_

* * *

**CHAPTER 12**

**00**

All thoughts and concerns had fled from Sam's head, except one, the desire to track down the source of the incredible music he could hear. Walking at a consistent, robotic, pace, Sam's quest had him walking in the same direction that he and his brother had previously been heading but, by now, Sam was completely unaware that he even _had_ a brother, let alone that he had just shot him at point blank range. Within the world to which Sam was now being drawn, Dean simply did not exist.

...

Gradually the fear aroused by the sound of the gun being fired settled, and the forest birds began to return to nests and tree tops. Small, darting, flying insects began to congregate in the air space a couple of feet above the still and silent body laying on the soft, damp mosses. A tiny emerald green beetle settled and closed it's wing cases, before beginning to explore this new territory, wandering haphazardly over the motionless body's face and neck. There was a blur of movement, and the beetle was gone; it's short life brought to a sudden end as it became food for a small, black eyed, red breasted, robin. Swallowing the beetle down, the little bird chirruped happily, before hopping up onto the body's chest, it's sharp eyes watching out for any other unwary insects that chanced to land on this new addition to the forest floorscape.

...

The otherworldly music continued to entice Sam. It spoke to him of the forest, told him the story of every tree he passed, how each one had come to be there, where each original seed had been carried from, whether it's journey had been by wind or by creature. It played him the sound of the Larkspur, hidden beneath Sam's feet, waiting eagerly for their time to push through up the earth and into the sunlight. Sam listened as the harp told of the hopes and dreams of the creatures of the forest, from the tiniest shrew to the great brown bear. Through the magic of the music, Sam soared high above the world, knowing the glory of the freedom of the eagle, whose home lay on top of the high rocky peaks that swept up from the forest floor, beyond the treetops, and on, towards the heavens. The grasses and mosses each had their own tune and, as the music filled Sam's head with images that took his breath away, the forest itself began to fill Sam's soul, until he needed nothing else.

...

Awareness came slowly, brought on by repeated tiny pin pricks of pain at different points on his head which gradually became more irritating, and more demanding of a response. With awareness came a more intense hurt and a more forceful pain sited throughout his abdomen. Dean clutched at his stomach, groaning as he rolled onto his side and curled up into a foetal position, his eyebrows knotted together in discomfort and his mouth was clamped closed in a tight grimace as he attempted to reign in his panted breaths; trying to regulate and steady his air intake. Emotionally he felt wrecked. He knew there was only one reason that he was alive to feel the pain, he had given his brother the Taurus, loaded with salt rounds. There had been no indication in Sam's eyes to give any warning to Dean of what was about to happen, and Dean didn't even begin to _try_ to kid himself that the shot wouldn't have been fired if Sam's gun had been loaded with live rounds. He knew deep down that Sam hadn't made the decision to shoot, he wasn't responsible but, never-the-less, Dean was fearful of how easy it had been for Sam to pull the trigger. Dean remained where he was, curled up into a tight ball, eyes closed, immersed in his hurt, and with no inclination to try to move.

...

As the sun rose higher, the day grew hotter, even within the shade cast by the densely packed trees. Sam didn't feel it. Thirst didn't touch him, there was no sense of hunger, there was only the desire to reach his destination. Woven through the music, he had started to hear a soft voice. The voice encouraged him onward, made promises, told him how beautiful he was, spoke of loving him, wanting him, waiting for him. And Sam listened.

**xxxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxxx**

_A.N. That's it for today, I really ought to do some chores. Next chapter asap :D Chick xxx_


	13. Chapter 13

_A.N. A new chapter? Must be the weekend :D  
__Chick xxx_

* * *

**CHAPTER 13**

**00**

It had had enough of waiting for the big bird to do something. It was pretty sure the big bird wasn't egg sitting. It had never seen a bird of _any _kind lay down over it's eggs. It wondered if the big bird was dieing? It knew that birds often laid down when they were dead. It decided it was time to see if it could get Big Bird to move again. How could it show Big Bird where it's mate was if Big Bird stayed dead? The robin hopped down onto the floor from where it had been perched on Dean's hip.

...

Dean was struggling to acclimatise himself to the pain and intense soreness radiating from where the rock salt had blasted into him. The hurt wasn't about to fade in the near future, so he knew he had to be able to overcome it, or at least be able to tolerate it if he was going to get up off the forest floor any time soon. He tried uncurling a little and couldn't help the moan that accompanied the action. _Come on Winchester, quit being_ so _pathetic, suck it up, your brother needs you._ Berating himself, Dean forced himself to take some deep breaths, preparing to straighten out, until the earlier pin pricks of pain around his head returned and distracted him. _What the f...? _Dean raised his head off the floor and squinted his eyes open. He found himself up close and personal with a Robin that was staring straight at him from a few inches away. In it's beak, the bird clutched a few strands of dark blonde hair.

"Stoppit, s'_my_ hair, dumb Tweety bird..._Gimme_!"

Dean moved an arm, his hand reaching for the hair in the bird's beak, the robin simply hopped out of Dean's reach. Cocking it's head on one side, it continued to stare at Dean. Taking as much of a deep breath as he was able, Dean shakily raised the top half of his body off the floor. Balancing his weight on one elbow, he made another grab for the bird, and missed once more; cursing when the movement stretched the bruised muscles of his stomach.

Man and bird gazed at one another.

...

"_Fine_...Have it...Don't care."

Turning hid head away from the bird, Dean concentrated on gradually shuffling himself around until he was sitting upright. Looking around, Dean's expectations were confirmed, there was no sign of Sam, only his backpack, abandoned on the forest floor.

"Oh Sammy, this' so not good..._Come on Winchester_, time to get on your feet. Not gonna find him sittin' around on my ass. Hey! Tweety!...You go tell whoever's got my brother, I'm heading their way. Tell 'em, Sam better be bright eye'd and bushy! 'Cos if not?...No _way _they get to live. You be sure to tell 'em...**_Dean Winchester's_** on their tail."

...

One arm clasped tight around his torso, Dean grunted and groaned his way up onto his feet, where he paused, waiting for the flaring pain that the action had ignited to settle back down to barely manageable. Concentrating on overcoming his injuries, he didn't notice that, at the same time, "Tweety" had fluttered up into the low branches of a nearby tree and was now watching him, expectantly. Walking as carefully as he could, Dean collected his and Sam's backpacks. Kneeling down, he began to empty out the contents, stopping when he pulled a metal tin with a small red cross on the centre of it's lid out of Sam's back pack. Opening it, Dean smiled.

"Sammy, I love you baby brother."

Most of the usual contents of the mini first aid kit, it's plasters, the scrawny cotton weave bandage, and it's dinky squares of wound dressing pads had been replaced by dental floss, a couple of needles, a scalpel, a large size dressing pad, a clean cloth the kit's original alcohol wipes and, more importantly to Dean right now, a box of pain killers. Dean read the instructions on the box recommending an adult take two capsules every four hours. Removing the tablet strip, Dean popped four and dry swallowed them, keeping the rest to hand. He began sorting through everything he hand Sam had been carrying, dumping those things he decided were not essential. He kept the tent and one sleeping bag along with the pan for boiling water in and the two mugs. Of their assorted food items, he kept hold of the coffee, the jerky and his bags of M&M's. He pulled out his new edition of Busty Asian Babes and stared regretfully at the cover model.

"I'm sorry to have'ta say this Babe, but I gotta end this relationship. I'll miss you, I will. We could'a been so good together _but_...Maybe we'll get together again someday."

By the time Dean had finished, the purple backpack held the things he was off loading. Not knowing what else to do, he hung it from a tree where he hoped someone might spot it and pick it up. Getting the green back pack up and onto his shoulders caused him to bite his lip against the burning pull on his abdominal muscles. Without the map to refer to and no compass, Dean checked his watch, then glanced up at the clear blue sky above, noting the position of the sun. Satisfied with which direction he needed to take in order to continue heading towards the rock tower Dean set off, determined to find his brother, silently followed by his new and, as yet, unnoticed travelling companion.

...

The softly encouraging voice assured Sam that he was getting closer to his destination, it spoke of how much it looked forward to their meeting, how much love it had for Sam, how they were destined to be together, how perfect their lives would be, deep within the Great Forest. Smiling and listening, Sam continued to journey towards the source of the music and the deliciously enticing voice, aware of nothing else. His feet somehow carried him unerringly along, taking him around obstacles that Sam never saw, so far turned in on himself as he was by then.

**xxxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxxxz**

_A.N. I _know_ you're all sensible people, but just to reinforce, the recommended doses for all medications are recommended for a reason and you should always follow the guidelines - Dean was being a _very_ naughty boy!_

_Chick xxx_


	14. Chapter 14

_A.N. So, I'm the one who wrote it, but even _I_ think this is a bizarre little chapter. Trying to think like a robin...Very odd! Also, I have been a total slacker when it comes to replying to your lovely, and often amusing, reviews this week. SORRY! Time has been in short supply, I hope you can forgive me, I __**will**__ get round to doing it. I promise.  
__Chick xxx_

* * *

**CHAPTER 14**

**00**

At last the pain killers started to kick in, beginning to take the edge off the worst of Dean's soreness, bringing his hurt levels down to bearable and, effectively conning Dean into believing he was fine now to move more freely, easily and quickly, without the risk of causing any further problems. Happy that he felt so much better, Dean increased his speed up to jogging pace, in the hope of making up for lost time and being able to close the gap somewhat between himself and Sam. Dean's gearing up his speed caught the robin by surprise. The bird now found himself having to fly more or less continuously, rather than his usual habit of flitting from branch to branch. _Big Bird move quick, have to keep up, make sure he no get lost. Can't rest, no rest! Stay with Big Bird. Help Big Bird...Give me more pink food maybe...?_

...

Eventually the little bird started to tire and the thoughts of stopping became more and more tempting. If he didn't do something soon, he would begin to lag further and further behind Big Bird. _Have to catch Big Bird, make Big Bird slow down. Wings tired. _Pulling on his reserves, the robin picked up speed, it's wings a blur as it determinedly chased after Dean, whistling and trilling from behind the hunter whilst he flew.

...

In a forest that was full of birds and bird song, the small cries of the robin failed to rise above the rest, and Dean maintained his speed. In desperation, the robin changed his tactic. From seemingly out of nowhere, Dean found himself being repeatedly buzzed at close range by an extremely stroppy bird. Dean's attempts to dodge and duck out of the creature's swooping flight path threatened to result in him tripping over his own feet. Thoroughly irritated, Dean gave up and came to a halt. The bird instantly landed on the floor a few feet in front of Dean. Glaring at the creature, maintaining eye contact with it, Dean was sure he could see the little thing puffing and panting. It didn't matter, and the robin found itself once again looking into the dark, circular hole of the shiny thing that Big Bird held at the end of it's useless wings. The robin assumed it must be some kind of bizarre beak, currently open wide and begging for food. The little creature duly took to the air, and perched itself on the barrel of the Glock. Dean shook the gun, dislodging the bird in a flurry of wings.

"_Gerrof!_ Get back over to where you were standing, so's I can shoot you..._What the_...? Freakin' thing! I _said_, piss off! It's a gun, _not_ a bloody perch! _Huh?..._Ok, this' _sooo_ not normal. What the Hell's wrong with you? You mangy Dodo!"

...

It took a while for the robin to get it's message across. It had to repeatedly flutter ahead of Dean, then wait for him to catch up, before darting a short distance ahead and landing again in plain sight of the hunter. The frustrated creature was very much relieved when, at last, Big - _dumb -_ Bird seemed to realise what the robin was trying to get across to it. It finally stopped it's harsh, and _constant_, squawking. The robin watched in open curiosity whilst Big Bird put it's odd looking beak away, hiding it somewhere beneath it's even odder looking plumage. Living in the forest, the robin had seen quite a number of these crazy looking big birds, some hung around in flocks, others appeared, like him, to travel alone. He had also seen big birds out and about with their hatchlings, but he had never before been so close to a big bird, or spent so long in the company of one. He knew they all had similar weird plumage, although there were many different colours amongst them. He now assumed that all big birds must hide their beaks away like this one had. A relatively quieter song from Big Bird broke into the robin's musings.

"Ok...I think I get it...The _soon-to-be-dead_ Fugly who's taken my brother sent you, and now I'm supposed to follow you meekly into some kinda trap. Right? What _I_ want to know is, why did it have to send a dumb ass _parrot_? What's up with a huge, mean lookin' grizzly? Now _that_ would've been _awesomely_ cool, _and _I could've ridden on it's back. Instead, I get a crazy, hair pulling, chicken..._Whatever_...Come on Tweety...Let's get goin'."

...

Sam stepped out from under the cover of the trees and into unrestricted sunlight. He paused, waiting for his eyes to adjust to the sudden brightness that was all around him. A warm, soft, musical voice whispered inside his head,

_"Welcome."_

**xxxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxx**

_A.N. Currently decorating the kitchen. If my other half and I get it done before tomorrow, I'll push to get the next chapter out, rather than leave you hanging on from this one for a week...Or shall I? ;p Reviews can be sooo persuasive :D_

_Chick xxx_


	15. Chapter 15

_A.N. Kitchen all done and looking fresh and bright, so here's another chapter just for you. :)_

* * *

**CHAPTER 15**

**00**

More concerned about Sam than with the robin, Dean refused to slow down from his fast paced jog, and eventually the bird ran out of energy. Tired and thirsty, it was forced to rest. Dean had got used to having the creature flying alongside, so he quickly noticed it's absence. He slowed down, considering whether or not to turn around and look for the bird. Shaking his head in disbelief at his own decision, Dean stopped. Muttering under his breath, he turned and slowly re-traced his path a short way, peering up into trees as he walked by.

"Hey! _Dodo_! You quit on me? Where're you hiding, you red breasted turkey? I really don't care if I leave you behind you know."

Hearing Big Bird's grating screech, the robin realised it was probably calling for him. The bird gave itself a small shake, fluffing it's feathers. With a flutter of wings, it landed on the ground in front of Big Bird. Dean was surprised at how pleased he felt when he saw that the tiny creature was ok.

"You're supposed to be guiding me aren't you? Kinda means you should be in front, so _c'mon_...Up, up and away!"

When the robin didn't move, Dean took a quick glance around the immediate area, before looking back down at the bird. Holding his arms out at either side, Dean moved them up and down in a flapping motion.

"You gotta fly...Understand? _Fly_...Like this."

There was still no response from the bird. Dean stopped his flapping, feeling more than a little foolish. He just _knew_ that, if robin's had eyebrows,_ this_ one would have his raised in amusement right now. _Sammy is __**never**__ going to be told about this! __**Never**__! _ With a sigh, Dean shrugged off his back pack and extracted his bottle of water. Popping two more pain killers in his mouth, Dean unscrewed the lid and began to drink, spluttering water down his chin when the bird flew up and landed on his shoulder.

"Thirsty huh? Here."

Filling the cap, Dean held the water in front of the bird, and was delighted to see it drink, although he _definitely_ didn't think _Wow, that's so cute_, nope, definitely _not_! When Dean set off again, anyone watching would have seen a handsome, though worried looking young man, jogging briskly through the forest with a small red breasted robin sat behind him, bouncing along on top of the young man's back pack.

...

As he ran, Dean eventually began to notice a subtle change in the light levels around him. Looking ahead, there appeared to be an area where the trees ended and open ground began. He slowed down to walking pace, not wanting to come crashing out of the woods straight into who knew what. At the same time, his passenger flew past him toward the open area, chirruping. Dean couldn't help but feel disappointed.

"Yeah, that's right. Go on...Go let your handler know I'm here, just don't expect anymore ice cream from me!"

...

Standing at the edge of the tree line, Dean's gaze took in the view laid out before him, and couldn't help his low whistle of appreciation. The area was stunning, picture perfect in it's beauty, made all the more so by the never ending, heart jolting blue sky's above. Set within a great clearing surrounded by the forest, the area was dominated by a towering finger of craggy limestone which Dean estimated to rise roughly 1500 feet at it's tallest. The brilliant sunlight reflected off the white lime, creating a shimmering effect over the whole of the structure. Falling from the highest peak, and sparkling like millions of dancing diamonds, was a narrow waterfall. Rainbows gleamed and dazzled where the sun shone through tiny water droplets thrown up as the edges of the waterfall splashed here and there off rocky outcrops. Rich, green mosses grew in luxurious abandon, tumbling over rocks and hanging in long curtains from out of crevices kept damp by the play of the water. From it's base to it's peak, dotted in amongst the cracks and blossoming on the tops of flat ledges of lime stone, were patches of tiny wild flowers; some in a startling deep heliotrope, some of fiery scarlet, others coloured a cheery canary yellow and still more of purest white. Although glorious to behold Dean knew the waterfall, at least, _had_ to be either an incredible illusion, or something supernatural, impossible as the thing was.

...

Where the plummeting column of water ended was hidden from Dean's view. The area was protected by a semi circle of massive, and seemingly impenetrable, boulders of lime stone and, peeking up from within the enclosed space, Dean could just make out the tips of what appeared to be numerous trees in full blossom. He recognised the pinks of flowering cherries, the snowy white of apple blossom and the bobbing heads of deep purple lilac. Dean grimaced, the whole scene was beginning to look _way_ too chintzy for his tastes. The open ground encircling the tower of lime stone was the image of an alpine meadow, sweet grasses and yet more wild flowers covered the whole of the area, broken only by the occasional limestone rock and flowering shrub. Dean was no gardener, but he'd lay money that much of the flora and fauna did not normally co-habit or bloom at the same time.

...

A sound to his left startled Dean, and he was both confused and secretly pleased to see that his travelling companion hadn't left him after all, but instead had chosen to stay nearby. He turned his gaze back to the lime stone peak. All Dean's of instincts screamed at him that _somewhere_ within this amazing, and unnatural place, was his brother; and Dean was determined to track Sam down.

**xxxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxxx**

A.N. Until next time (hopefully later this week). Huggles, Chick xxx


	16. Chapter 16

_A.N. Time to catch up with poor old Sam..._

* * *

**CHAPTER 16**

**oo**

Dean knelt on the forest floor, taking cover within the tree line. Opening his back pack, he began removing anything he considered excess weight and unlikely to be a priority at this point. He included within that, the tent and sleeping bag. He kept only things that he might need, although, the thought of possibly _needing_ the first aid kit made him pause momentarily. He kept hold of the kit, dropping it into his back pack. Dean also put to one side a few mixed items that he felt might, potentially, have an effective offensive or defensive quality. Satisfied, he turned his attention to the armoury which was already available to him. The fully loaded Glock was still sat snug against his lower back. Fingering the Rosary, Dean shrugged and slipped it over his head, tucking the length of beads and the crucifix out of sight under the neck of his tee. His ever present Zippo he shoved into one of the front pockets of his jeans, after checking it was working. A metal hip flask containing oil, he stored in the inside pocket of the denim jacket he wore over his tee. He hesitated over the hessian drawstring bag containing salt. If it stayed as it was, it was too big to go in a pocket. Not willing to leave it behind, Dean stared thoughtfully at the bag, until a smile grew on his face. _The Ken coat! _Rummaging around, he found the small, soft waterproof drawstring bag that Sam had said was Dean's raincoat. Opening the bag, Dean drew out the tightly wrapped item of clothing. Unfurling it, Dean was amazed to find himself holding a generously sized hooded jacket, made from the same thin waterproof material as the bag it came in_. _Dean held the little bag up next to the coat.

"No _way_ that's ever gonna fit back in _there_!"

Dean was about to put the jacket with the other non-essentials, when he pictured the waterfall in his mind's eye. Instead of leaving it behind, he used the arms of the jacket to tie it around his waist, leaving the body of the jacket hung down over his backside. Opening the hessian bag he split the salt between it and the waterproof bag, before shoving one in each of the side pockets of his denim. When it came to the single handed sword, Dean figured he had two options. The first being to leave it strapped to the outside of his back pack, or alternatively to hang it through the belt he wore around his waist. For the moment, Dean left it strapped where it was. Having then sorted his primary weapons, Dean gazed at the small pile of "potential to be used as a weapon" items that he had gathered. He picked up the small pocket knife which Sam had used to sharpen one end of his ash wood stakes into points, and slid it down the inside of one boot. He considered the pile of steel tent pegs. With a shrug, he slid one down the inside of his other boot, standing up to test whether or not it would hinder his movements. Although a little uncomfortable, Dean decided he could live with it. The two metal spoons however, _What was I thinking? A couple of pudding spoons? __Death by dessert?_ he abandoned. As ready as he felt he could be, Dean then wrapped the spare kit up within the sleeping bag and stashed the bundle under a shrub, ready to pick up later. Settling the by now much lighter back pack on his shoulders, and with a quick nod in the direction of the robin, Dean moved out of the shelter of the forest, and into open ground.

...

The place had simply taken Sam's breath away, it was _perfect_. Every tree, every single flower head, whether blossoming on the trees or peeking up at him from ground level, the colour of the sky above, the crystalline waters, the lush and springy emerald green grass under his feet, the soft warmth of the sun, the heady perfumed air, each and every single smooth and colourful pebble he looked at..._All_ perfect. He just couldn't imagine being anywhere but here. _This_ was where he was meant to be, he belonged here, and here was where he intended to stay. He could become the guardian of this corner of heaven on earth, ensuring that nothing, and no one, was ever able to spoil it. He looked down at himself, and frowned. His boots looked cumbersome, out of place, hideous and ungainly amongst so much beauty. Bending down, Sam undid them and took them off, immediately followed by his socks. He wriggled his toes, the soft grass under his bare feet felt cool, soothing, _incredible_. It felt so much more natural to be wandering around in this place without the constraint of the clumsy footwear. The soothing warmth of the sunlight shining down through trees laden with pastel coloured blossoms, persuaded Sam to remove his outer jacket and his over shirt. They had begun to feel claustrophobic, he didn't need them here. Clutching his boots and clothing, Sam gazed around for somewhere to put them, unhappy as he was to casually dump them and leave them laying around. He didn't want to be responsible for spoiling this corner of paradise by blighting it with the things he no longer had any use for. It felt disrespectful, and crass, and not becoming of a guardian. Turning his head, he saw the ideal solution. Wandering over to the gleaming white limestone boulder, which he assumed he simply hadn't noticed before, he rolled it to one side and, using his hands, he carefully scooped out a shallow indentation in the rich, black soil on which the boulder had been stood. He dropped his unwanted belongings into the shallow hole, then carefully rolled the boulder over the top of them, hiding them completely from view. Straightening up, Sam suddenly found himself with his mouth agape, yawning. His eyes had begun to feel heavy, and he felt the overpowering desire to choose a spot to lay down on, somewhere that he could let himself happily drift off to sleep.

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_A.N. Not sure that I would want to be rescued from paradise if I found it! :)  
__Chick xxx_


	17. Chapter 17

_A.N. Did I say somewhere in an earlier A.N. that this was going to be a fairly short fic? Silly me...  
__Chick :) x_

* * *

**CHAPTER 17**

**oo**

Dean walked across the meadow style ground, heading directly for the tower of limestone. His gaze, however, was constantly being drawn to the enclosed area at it's base. The very fact that it appeared barricaded against visitors, and that whatever was in there was blocked from his view, attracted the greater part of his interest. With a slight adjustment to his direction, he made for that area first. As he drew closer to the giant boulders which defensively protected the area within, in his mind Dean knew there was something different about the boulders he was staring up at, but he couldn't immediately figure out what that difference was. Coming to a standstill at the base of one of the massive stones, he reached out and ran a hand back and forth over it's smooth surface. _Hold on_...**_Smooth_**_?_ That was it! Limestone _wasn't_ naturally smooth, it was rough, it was craggy, it had cracks, crevices, protrusions and sometimes even fossils. And yet now, when he turned his head left and right to look properly at the boulders within his line of sight, he realised that each and every one of them had that same atypical smoothness all over, making them look a bit like a crazy set of giant, stone, marbles. This balance of shaping and smoothing was more than just the wind, beyond natural, not simply the powers of nature at work. No, something else had done this; _but,_ had it been achieved by hand...or by magic? Dean couldn't decide which option would be the least worrying. The hand would have had to be **_huge,_** the magic would have had to be powerful. Either one of these had the potential to present the eldest Winchester with a serious problem. Even so, Dean remained determined to get to the area inside the boulders, whatever it might take.

...

Searching for a place to rest, Sam was drawn in the direction of the sound of water, falling and splashing over and onto rocks. Feeling completely at ease and relaxed, he wandered between the flowering trees, breathing in their scent, enjoying the luxury of the feel of the grass, soft beneath his feet. Emerging out of the blossom orchard, Sam stopped. His eyes greedily drank in the sight before him, his pupils grew large, dilating to the point where only the narrowest ring of hazel green still showed. Sam stared at the treasure he had discovered. A treasure which felt _so_ strongly as though it had been waiting for him and, now that he was here, it was his for the taking. Sam drew closer, tilting his head back he traced the journey of the water; from it's point of origin so high above him, on to where it plummeted down, a ribbon of shimmering silver and sparkling white, shot through with streaks of cool, pale turquoise. Sam stared, mesmerised, at where the waterfall hit, mingled, and then became one with the emerald, sapphire and diamond coloured waters filling the breathtaking, circular pool at it's base. The grass and wildflowers grew right up to the edge of the pool, giving way then to marginal plants which were dominated by lapis blue bearded Iris with centres of sunshine yellow. Tall, straight rushes and mats of tiny green frilly leafed ground trailing plants sat happily side by side, and at a point furthest from where the waterfall met with the pool, the surface of the stiller water there was breached by dazzling white water lilies. Right _here_ was where Sam wanted to lay down and sleep, here by the side of the precious treasure that was the pool. Lulled by the sound of the water, Sam closed his eyes and drifted off into restful sleep almost instantly. He wasn't aware of the faintest of hints of new movement, movement which caused a trembling ripple to appear on top of the water, or of how that ripple spread outwards, as if to accommodate the increasingly frequent, and more pronounced swirls and ripples that began to disturb the previously calm pond as someone, _or something,_ slowly made it's way up...Rising from the unknown depths of the pool, heading unerringly onward, toward the surface of the water, close to where Sam lay.

...

Dean began to walk the outer perimeter of what he now thought of as the defensive barricade created by the huge, unnatural, boulders. Trained green eyes scanned over every surface, every join between the boulders, and every patch of ground at their base, looking for a possible way in, however small and innocuous it may seem. If all else failed, Dean was prepared to attempt a free hand climb up the tower of limestone until he was above the boulders, then free climb down again on the inner side of them. However, he clung on to the hope that it wouldn't come to that, telling himself that if Sam was injured, they might not both be able to climb back out of the enclosed area. Telling himself that his reluctance had nothing _what-so-ever_ to do with the whole free climbing thing, which by it's very nature meant going up, being at height, and dangling off the rock face, with the comfort of the floor left some distance below him. No, it was nothing at all to do with _that_, or so he continued to try to convince himself.

...

The robin had begun to flit from within the trees which formed the edge of the forest, across to Dean, and back. It seemed on edge, nervous, unhappy that Dean was so close to the boulders. Occasionally it landed on the ground nearby and warbled and chirruped at Dean, as if to say _Come away...Come away Big Bird. Come back to the forest and hide_. Instead, Dean took the little bird's concern as evidence that some how, some where, there _was_ a way through and, all he had to do, was find it.

**xxxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxxx**

_A.N. Whoops...Sorry about that Sam fans, but something's coming for your boy! ;p  
__Chick xxx_


	18. Chapter 18

_A.N. Time for any last guesses before you read this chapter, 'cos the thing the boys are hunting finally makes it's first appearance. Enjoy..._

* * *

**CHAPTER 18**

000

_Big Bird no no no. Go back go back go back. Danger. Danger. No more pink food. __Big Bird. Danger Big Bird!_

Dean smiled grimly as the robin became more distressed, more frantic, fluttering in his face, whistling wildly. Dean shoo'd the bird away with one hand.

"Guess I must be close...Let's see...Where are you? Where..._Ha_! **_Yatzee_**!"

Dean's smile turned to a grin of triumph, as he stared a foot or so above his own head height at the surface of the boulder he was standing in front of. Unless you were actively searching as Dean had been, you wouldn't have notice the small, rough, raised area with it's four indentations which jutted slightly proud of the boulder's otherwise smooth surface.

"Ready or not, here I come!"

Reaching up, Dean placed the tips of the fingers on his left hand so that each one sat in one of the indentations.

...

Nothing happened at first, and Dean had the time to begin feeling a little stupid until the first, barely there shift, which felt as though it had started somewhere directly beneath his feet. From that first vague hint of movement, things suddenly happened very quickly. Too quickly for Dean to take evasive action and, with a short yelp of surprise, he dropped feet first into the hole that had materialised seemingly from nowhere, and opening up exactly where he had been standing. Fortunately, he didn't drop _too_ far, and his landing, whilst ungraceful, was onto a floor made out of soft, damp clay. Dean's landing, right on his butt, was accompanied by a loud **_Splat _**kind of noise. He screwed up his face in disgust at the sensation of the freezing wet clay, glooping around his hands and squirting itself up between his fingers.

"_Sonova_... Oh...**_Gross_**!"

As Dean slid and squelched his way back onto his feet, the clay pulled and clung to his clothing, making a sucking and slapping noise each time Dean dragged a part of himself free of the stinking slime, as if it was reluctant to let go of it's prize. Dean fervently wished he didn't have to breath, as the stench of the foul, fetid gases burping up out of the clay with his every movement made him gag.

"_For the love of_...How the**_ frigg_** do I get _out_ of here?"

...

A head broke the surface of the water, violet eyes roamed curiously over the still sleeping form of Sam. A small mouth opened in a predatory smile, revealing two rows of tiny, perfectly white and sharply pointed, piranha like teeth. Silently and smoothly the creature cut through the water towards Sam, stopping when it reached the gently sloping bank of the pool. The violet eyes were drawn to Sam's feet, staring at the bare skin. It's movements full of grace, the creature raised itself further up out of the water, revealing it's own smooth, bare, skin; which shimmered like shot silk in the sun. And like shot silk, at every movement, however slight that movement may be, the colour of the creature's skin seemed to flow and change. Sometimes the creature's flesh looked to be a pure, snowy white, that was shot through with the palest of blues; the next moment you would say that the skin was really coloured the palest of blues and that it was shot through with snowy white, that is, until you changed your mind once more. It's upper body swaying sinuously, the thing lifted itself further up out of the water, it's eyes now firmly focused on the sight of the naked flesh in front of it. Manoeuvring itself closer, the thing stretched forward it's graceful neck and, from between it's needle sharp teeth, flicked out a narrow pink tongue. Bowing it's head, it began to softly lick at one of Sam's bare feet, tasting the defenceless hunter, and rolling it's eyes back into it's head as it did so. Sam murmured in his sleep and shifted both his feet. The creature reacted quickly. Tilting it's head on one side, it pouted it's lips together, as if it were about to blow a kiss. From out of the thing's mouth, came the sound of a harp. It's music began to fill the air, and the thing produced a tune that sounded so plaintive, so full of sorrow, that it was like listening to the sound of a heart, breaking. Sam drifted deeper down into his unnatural sleep.

...

Whilst the Naiad sang, a further two heads broke the surface of the pond. In unison the two slid effortlessly across the pool, until they reached their sister's side. The eldest continued with her song, mourning the death that was to come. Her siblings both fixed their gaze on to Sam. The youngest drew herself fully out of the water and crawled on all fours until she lay alongside him. Reaching out a hand, she stroked his hair. Moving her head closer, she sniffed at it before running her hand through it once more. Finally, she moved away from Sam, and began to pushed herself backwards, her body skimming over the grass and slipping back into the water. She and her sibling moved to place themselves one either side of the eldest and, together, they added their voices to hers.

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_A.N. Just in case anyone is wondering, no, I _don't_ have a thing for feet! :D  
__Chick xxx_


	19. Chapter 19

_A.N. Never say I don't give in to your pleas!  
__Chick xxx_

* * *

**CHAPTER 19**

000

Fighting to stay upright on the slippery clay flooring, Dean managed to turned himself around, and was relieved to see a tunnel leading off from where he was standing. Deciding to worry about how to climb back out of the hole later, Dean began to slither his way unsteadily along the narrow shaft, trying to take as few breaths as possible in the cloying, putrid air. He felt fortunate to discover that the tunnel was reasonably short, and he could already see daylight ahead, highlighting the exit back onto what he hoped would be drier ground.

...

Sam rolled over onto his back and half opened his eyes, looking up at the clear sky through his eyelashes. He heard the sound of a soft giggle. Unafraid, he opened his eyes fully and lifted his head, curious to see who had made the noise. He found himself looking at the platinum haired heads and the shimmering naked shoulders of three young women, who watched him from the edge of the tempting pool of cool looking waters. Instantly captivated, his gaze travelled over each of the trio of beautiful, fey looking females. Like a man desperate for a drink who realises he is outside a bar, Sam found himself irrecoverably drawn to their eyes, the like of which he had never seen before. The first girl definitely looked younger than the other two and she met his gaze confidently, a merry twinkle in her dazzling, lime green, eyes. The girl in the middle of the group, the one with violet eyes which could take your breath away, also looked like she might be the eldest of the group. Her smile seemed as if it full of some secret amusement. Finally, the third female. Appearing to be more shy than the other two, she kept her head tilted slightly downward, which meant that she met his gaze by peering up from under her thick, blue black lashes. Yet, even though she wasn't looking fully back at Sam, _this _girl's eyes shone with such an intense azure blue, that Sam couldn't help but stare. He found himself smiling as his fixed attention made Blue Eyes lower her head even more, and turn slightly away from him in apparent embarrassment. Sam felt the powerful urge to reach out and tilt her head back towards him, so badly did he want to lose himself in those eyes again.

...

A movement from the youngest distracted Sam and he raised himself up further, into a seated position, as she moved closer and rested her forearms on the grassy banking, one hand laid gracefully over the other. When she spoke, her gentle voice inside his head quite bizarrely had Sam instantly thinking of strawberries and cream. He wasn't at all phased by the fact that, whilst he heard the girl's words perfectly clearly, her lips didn't move at all.

_"Welcome, beautiful human, with hair as soft as the feathers of a swan."_

Before Sam was able to reply, the eldest girl also spoke to him, the sound of her voice seeming to be inside his own head, just as it had with the youngest.

_"Welcome, beautiful human, my sisters and I have been waiting for you."_

Her tone made strawberries and cream turn into smooth, melted milk chocolate. Sam turned from the eldest sister quickly, seeking only to hear Blue Eyes speak, eager to know what image would be created by_ this_ one's voice. The answer came as his head was filled by her low, spine tingling whisper.

_"Welcome... Beautiful human of __**mine**__."_

The taste of fresh, sweet, and yet mildly spiced and woody honey burst over Sam's tongue and he swallowed, actually feeling the sensation of the silky smooth liquid caressing it's way down his throat. Without thinking, Sam leaned his upper body toward the girl. He was ignorant of the other two siblings glancing at each other when they saw how Sam responded to their sister. The pair smiled softly at one another, both of them recognising and accepting that _this_ particular human had declared himself to be the blue eyed sister's kill and, on this occasion, it would be _her_ privilege to be the first of them to feed off his remains.

...

Stepping out of the stinking, slimy tunnel onto fresh grass and into the warmth of sunlight shining down through the branches and blossom of the trees, Dean drew a deep and grateful breath of the clean, fresh and fragrant air.

"There had **_so_** better be another way of gettin' Sammy an' me outta this freakin' stupid place! That tunnel's nothin' but one long fart! No _way_ I'm goin' back in there!"

Dean looked down at himself.

"_Crap_."

Both legs of his jeans, his hands, the sleeves of his jacket almost up to it's elbows, as well as a large patch of the centre front of his tee, were all covered or smeared in red muddy clay, and it was already beginning to dry in the heat of the day, revealing fissures that reminded him of crazy paving. Dean had no idea how he looked at the back, and he was also blithely unaware of the thinly coated streaks of clay that swept across one eyebrow, smeared in a wavering line high across one cheek, and continued on down the narrow centre line of his nose. He _was_ aware that he had managed to somehow get particles of the stuff on his teeth, and he spit on the ground to rid himself of it's foul taste. An alarming thought suddenly occurred to him, and he quickly began to check whether or not he had managed to avoid loosing any of his array of weapons. Dean was relieved to find everything still in it's place and mostly unmarked, although the hessian bag that was half full of salt, felt distinctly damp to his touch. Tucked into the back of his jeans, and then protected by the flap of his waterproof rain jacket, the Glock at least had totally escaped the touch of the clinging glop. Always having had an innate sense of direction, Dean took the time to get his bearings. He based his assessment on where he had been standing in relation to the tall cliff when he was on the outside of this area, the direction underneath the huge boulders that the tunnel had taken, and by tuning in to the sound of moving water. He was aware that it was possible for the direction of the sound to be have been distorted, dependant on what type of environment he had ended up in. However, he felt happy that he was heading the right way, Dean stayed within the trees as he quickly and quietly set off in the direction of the waterfall.

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_A.N. Well, at least both the boys are in the same place now, more or less! :D_

_Chick xxx_


	20. Chapter 20

_A.N. Another weekend, another chapter and Dean is moving in on his target.  
__Chick xxx_

* * *

**CHAPTER 20**

000

With branches bent low under the weight of their flowers, Dean found himself having to stoop and duck to avoid braining himself, even so, as he moved onward, he developed an ever changing scattering of petals on top of his head. Sometimes he was adorned mostly in pink, at other times in pure white. Something more than this was nagging at him though, starting to irritate and bother him, even _more _so because he simply could not catch hold of what his subconscious was persistently prodding him about. Dean slowed down. Closing his eyes, he breathed deeply of the heady scents surrounding him, and his subconscious burst through, ringing his internal _Hey!_ _Numb nuts _bell. Despite the glory of every tree being in full blossom, and the air heavy with their perfume; there was not one sight, nor sound, of the myriad of tiny hovering, flying, crawling and climbing creatures that Dean would expect to have been making the most of the plentiful pollen and nectar. Neither was there the sound of birdsong, no rustlings in the grass pronouncing the presence of mice or of any other ground dwelling creatures. In fact, simply no signs of any kind to indicate the presence of any forest wildlife. It was as if they had all become extinct, or been banished. Whatever the cause, clearly this area was in no way as natural as it tried to appear.

...

Dean began to wonder whether any of his current surroundings were actually real? His thoughts returned to the waterfall he was at that moment heading towards. All that water, tumbling down from the stand alone lime stone peak. Where did the water emanate from, so high up above anything else? It was impossible for it to fed by any natural stream of water so, it stood to reason then, that the waterfall was faked. _Spell or enchantment?_ _Maybe a spell of illusion?_ Years of training, of gathered knowledge and research, of his own long experience as a Hunter, put together with the way Sam had looked, led Dean to the conclusion that the most likely supernatural skills at play here were those of enchantment. He began to wonder what the place he was walking through looked like in reality? He screwed his face up in distaste when the thought crossed his mind that, potentially, the turgid, boggy and foul smelling tunnel was close to the reality of this part of the forest. He seriously hoped he was wrong.

...

Looking ahead, Dean realised he was now close to the base of the limestone rocks. Once he stepped out from the trees, he should be able to see the point at which the plunging waters from the fall hit ground level. As always, when getting closer to his prey, Dean felt the rise in his levels of adrenaline. Slowing his pace, he began to move silently from the trunk of one tree, on to the next, blending against them as much as he could, getting closer to the edge of the orchard. One smooth movement, and the Glock was in his hand. Very close to having to leave the cover provided by the trees, Dean stopped. Slowing his breathing, he strained his ears, listening for any sound that might guide him or give him some kind of feel for what he was up against. At first he heard nothing, other than the sound of the waterfall. He was about to move forward another step, when he froze and again focused on listening. _This_ time he heard the faint sound more clearly, it was the sound of a female, laughing merrily. Dean's eyes opened wide in surprise at the very human sound. _What the? Jeeze Sammy, you didn't have to shoot me just to get out on a hot date!_

...

Sam staggered onto his feet. Without even thinking about it, he ran a hand through his hair, an automatic gesture made in an attempt to make himself look more presentable. His gaze fixed on the blue eyes of the female smiling up at him, surrounded by the sparkling blues and greens of the fresh water pool. When she turned her eyes away from Sam and glanced at her sisters, Sam felt a very real grief wash over him, and he took a step forward, closer to the water's edge. He desperately wanted her to look back at him again, he _needed_ her to look at him again, so that he could lose himself within that azure blue. It was _all_ he wanted, and all he believed he needed from life.

"Please..."

At the sound of Sam's pleading voice, all three sisters turned and looked up at him. The eldest burst into laughter when she saw how Sam immediately returned his longing and devoted gaze back onto her blue eyed sibling. The words spoken by the eldest to her blue eyed sister and heard by Sam as a delicious whisper inside his own head should have put Sam on alert, they _should_ have made him back away.

_"This one will be an easy kill I think. His bond to you is very powerful sister."_

The words of the eldest held no meaning for the hunter, so entranced as he was by the glorious woman who now held out one slender, graceful arm to him, her hand reaching out, inviting Sam closer. He heard the response from Blue Eyes to her older sibling, but all he was really aware of, was how her words tasted.

_"I agree. It is a pity. This one is so tall and so beautiful. It would have been fun to play with him first."_

Sam should have been ready to fight, or to run. But he gave no consideration at all to either option. The youngest of the creatures pouted her lips and turned to her blue eyed sibling.

_"Can't we play a little anyway? You could _make_ him try to get away. I like it best when they try not to die."_

...

As he prepared to move out into the open, in his mind Dean put together what pieces he had of the puzzle._ Female, forest, illusion, enchantment, animal control, music, trance state, water...water...wa..._

"Oh crap...Fresh water nymph..._A freakin' Naiad_! Well ain't _that_ just awesome."

He looked at the Glock in his hand. If his guess was right, then the weapon had just become virtually useless, bullets wouldn't kill a nymph. Hell, he'd be lucky to _hit_ the damn creature if it was in water, those things could move unbelievably fast in their own environment. Tucking the gun back into the waistband of his jeans, Dean stayed low as he moved beyond the cover of the trees, hoping to see what he was up against, preferably before it saw _him_.

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_A.N. Everyone coming into play next chapter! :D Hope to see you there!  
__Chick xxx_


	21. Chapter 21

_A.N. It's not my fault! I just write the thing, it's not like I'm in control of what happens, so there!  
__Chick xxx_

* * *

**CHAPTER 21**

000

Hunched down and without making a sound, Dean moved out into open ground. Kneeling on the grass, he paused to give the area a quick visual scan.. Directly to his left, a scant nine or ten yards away, the grass abruptly stopped at the base of the limestone tower. There was no gradual change over of the ground cover, it went simply grass, then limestone wall, as though the white pointed needle of stone had, at some point, suddenly erupted from out of the ground and begun to grow. Being this close, Dean would have expected the noise from the glittering waterfall as it tumbled over jutting rocks before finally hitting the waters of the pool, to be almost deafening, it wasn't. The sound of all those gallons of falling crystal waters sounded no louder close up than they did from a distance. Dean's fast scan revealed that there was only one other object of any height in the area that Dean could see from his position, and _that_ was Sam.

...

Sorely tempted to call out to his younger brother, Dean had to clamp his jaw tightly closed. Sam was standing with his back towards Dean, but Dean knew his brother's body language and postures all too well, and he knew for _certain_ that Sam had the whole of his focus fixed on something that was, apparently, to the front of and below him. Frustratingly for Dean, he wasn't able to see what it was, his view being very effectively blocked by his giant brother. Dean was going to have to risk moving up to the base of the limestone, where he hoped he would then be able to check out exactly_ what_ had captured his brother's attention so completely. Had he been right? _Was_ it a Naiad that was working it's enchantments on Sam? Taking a couple of steadying breaths, Dean scuttled across to the base of the limestone structure and flattened himself up against it as best as he was able, attempting to gain as much cover as he could from the uneven, jagged rocks.

...

Reaching out with his own hand, Sam willingly drew nearer to this perfect being that beckoned him. Her encouragement flooded his mind.

_"Do you want to be with me human? Yes? Come then, take my hand, let me touch your warm flesh. There is nothing to fear my beautiful boy. Just a little closer, that's right...One more step..."_

_..._

At last able to see what it was that held his brother's attention so completely, Dean's stomach lurch and his heart rate jumped, increasing even further when he saw his guess had been right, but there wasn't just the one like he had assumed there would be. Dean was horrified to see that there were _three_ of the deadly creatures, and they _all _had their attention on Sam. Even worse, the one which Sam appeared to be fixed on was currently holding it's hand out to his baby brother - **_Shit_**_!_ _Back off Sammy, back off_.- and the damn moron had moved nearer to the edge of the pool. - _Ah...Hell_.- There was no choice, Dean couldn't stay hidden, he _had _to do something..._Fast_!

"**SAM!...NO**!"

Dean's roar tore through the peace of the enchanted place, his cry to his younger brother so loud, and imbued with such a tone of command, it seemed as though even the trees did their best to stand to attention.

...

Sam had moved forward again and was stooping down, eager to touch and hold the hand offered to him by Blue eyes, when a sudden and unexpected noise of such power and strength cracked through the air, startling him. Sam instantly straightened and took a step back, his head turning in the direction the sound had travelled from. His eyes narrowed when Sam saw the figure of another, racing straight towards him. Three voices at once screeched painfully inside his head.

**_You are the Guardian. Kill that intruder. It is your duty! Your DUTY!_**

**_..._**

Dean couldn't hear the voices, but he _did_ recognise the change in his brother as Sam settled into a fighting stance; and he knew the cold, hard look which had appeared in his brother's eyes. Dean instantly slammed the breaks on his frantic dash and held both hands up in the air, hoping that Sam still recognised, and appreciated, what the signal meant.

"Hey baby brother, it's me, Dean. Remember? Your older and wiser sibling. Sam? I want you to come away from the water. Ok Sammy?"

The intruder was speaking softly to him, using names that had no meaning. The intruder wanted him to move, maybe wanted Blue Eyes for himself, or meant to harm her. Sam's lips curled into a snarl and Blue Eyes spoke to him.

_You are the Guardian, and I am yours. __**Protect me**__. _

Sam's mind answered hers.

_Yes. I am the Guardian...It is my duty._

"Sam. Sammy...I'm not gonna hurt you brother, ok? I promis I'm not gonna...**_Shit_**!"

An animalistic howl of rage erupted out of Sam, as he launched himself like a furious lion across the short distance that separated him from his brother. A split second later, and Dean also moved, skipping backward and taking up a defensive stance, flinching at the look in his younger brother's eyes. Sam fervently wanted to kill him!

"**_Sam...Don't_**!"

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_A.N. Oh dear!_


	22. Chapter 22

_A.N. Just had time to complete a bonus chapter. Short, but hopefully satisfying... ;p  
__Chick xxx_

* * *

**CHAPTER 22**

000

Dean fully expected Sam to grind to a halt in front of him and take a swing. So he was caught a little off guard when Sam neither stopped nor slowed in his forward rush. Dean did the only thing that he had time to do, he dropped to his knees, letting Sam's own momentum send him crunching into Dean and sailing over his back. Staying low, Dean sun around in time to see his brother hit the ground and immediately curl into a forward roll. Despite the situation, Dean was impressed by Sam's save. Sam sprang back up onto his feet and turned to glare at Dean. Swiftly straightening up himself, Dean tried again to get through to his brother.

"_Sammy_, don't do this. _Listen_ to me..."

His words were cut short by Sam's execution of a text book perfect flying kick. Keeping his front foot planted on the ground, Dean shifted his body by the simple expedient of moving his back foot; at the same time connecting against the side of the knee on Sam's leading leg with his right forearm and, with a forceful push, adjusting the direction of Sam's flight safely away from himself. Like a cat, Sam somehow managed to land on all fours. He turned and stared back over his shoulder at the intruder, who was hesitantly moving closer, talking about things which Sam didn't understand, or care about. Sam climbed back onto his feet and faced the intruder, waiting patiently.

"Sam _please_...All this? It's not real. You and me Sammy, _that's_ what's real here. You're my _brother_. C'mon Sammy, you can see past all this, I _know_ you can."

Beyond Dean, Sam could see the three sisters, all watching with concern. Dragging his gaze away from them, Sam bowed his head and relaxed his stance. His voice was uncertain, afraid.

"Dean?"

Dean nodded enthusiastically, and stepped closer still.

"Yeah!...That's right brother, it's Dean. I'm right here with you. It's gonna be ok. Really, it is."

As soon as Sam judged Dean to be within reach, both his long arms shot out and his hands grabbed Dean by the throat. Strong fingers clamped down and began to compress Dean's windpipe. Dean reacted swiftly by raising his right arm into the air and, simultaneously, turning the whole of his body sharply to the left, from there he simply took a few rapid steps away from Sam. Effective in it's simplicity, there was little Sam could do to stop Dean's raised arm from effortlessly sweeping away the grip that he had around Dean's throat. At any other time, Dean's natural follow through to his move would be to partially lower his right arm, just far enough so that when he bent his arm, his elbow was lined up on his attacker's face. Instead, Dean pulled the blow before it landed, and focused on attempting to put some clearance space between himself and his brother.

"**_Sam!_** Will you just_ stop this _and_ listen to me_?...**_Sonovabitch_**!..._Sam__** stop**_! _Please_...I don't want to hurt you bro!"

As Dean spoke he ducked to avoid a wild, anger driven, attempt at a punch to his face, followed rapidly by a second. Back peddling, Dean concentrated on avoiding his brother's fists, and realised his mistake only when slender fingers encircled themselves tightly around each of his ankles. Sam stopped driving Dean and came to a standstill, a humourless and knowing smile on his face. There was a firm, sharp, tug, and Dean was at the mercy of gravity, powerless to stop himself from falling.

**_"Crap! _**_Really?"_

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_A.N. If you are still hanging in there with this (supposedly) short story, drop in, leave a review, and let me know where you're from.  
__Chick :)_


	23. Chapter 23

_A.N. You've all been so lovely, I thought you deserved a mid week bonus.  
__Big hugs to everyone :D  
__Chick xxx_

* * *

**CHAPTER 23**

**ooo**

With his feet yanked backwards from under him, the rest of Dean fell forwards. He automatically put his hands out to save himself, the landing jarring both wrists painfully. He didn't have long to dwell on it however, as the nymph maintaining her triumphant hold on his ankles began to drag him across the grass, her intent clearly being to haul Dean into the water, with herself and her siblings for company. Dean began a desperate attempt to free himself from the creature's hold, kicking and thrashing his legs whilst clawing at the grass with his hands, trying to dig his fingers into the earth and anchor himself.

"_Sammy! __**Help**_! _Leggo! Gerrof me you freaky fish faced __**bitch..**_.**_Saaaam_**!"

Sam strode quickly over to Dean, who felt a wave of pure relief at having managed, at last, to break the Naiad's thrall and get through to his brother. His relief, however, was proven to be misplaced. Standing in front of his struggling brother Sam pulled back his leg, and kicked Dean forcefully in his face with the underside of his heel. Dean grunted as his head snapped backwards. Barefoot or not, Sam kicked like a mule. Even half dazed from the blow, Dean was still able to recognise a potential lifeline when he saw one. Before Sam could either step away or kick him again, Dean threw both his arms around Sam's calf, enfolding it in a tight embrace. Feeling some resistance, the nymph hauling on Dean's ankles began to tug harder. At the same moment, Sam attempted to shake the intruder off of his leg. The limpet that was Dean was having none of it, clamping onto Sam's leg all the harder, despite being jolted and bumped around by Sam's increasingly irritated attempts at dislodging him.

...

From behind Dean a high pitched, head splitting, screech filled the air; and a second pair of hands grabbed and twisted themselves into the fabric of Dean's jeans- _Reinforcements? No fair_!- Between them, and helped along by Sam hopping closer to the pool with Dean still clinging to his leg, the two nymphs managed to drag the lower half of Dean's legs into the water. Dean's situation got worse when his brother began pounding Dean around the head with his fist. Blow after blow rained down on him and Dean felt himself slip further into the cool of the water. Dean really wasn't sure how much longer he could tolerate this level of punishment and still keep his hold around his brother's leg. The youngest Naiad had been holding back, letting her elders claim the prize. Finally though, she couldn't hang back any longer, it was time for her to join her sisters.

...

Throwing the upper half of her body onto the banking, she reached out and entwined her hand in the collar and neckline of Dean's jacket and tee. Gripping them firmly, the youngest Naiad pulled on them determinedly. Dean only saw one way of escaping being choked. He would have to let go of Sam's leg, then shrug himself out of his own jacket. Dean decided that no _way_ was he about to let go of Sam's leg, which left the likelihood of strangulation by the angry Nymph as a distinct possibility. The pressure on his windpipe increased to a dangerous level and Dean was left with no alternative. Taking one arm from around Sam's leg, he tore desperately at the neck of his tee to try to loosen it, very aware that he was now up to his waist in water. Sam stopped hitting Dean around the head the instant Dean let go with one arm, and turned his focus instead towards the task of prising away the remaining arm that still hung on around his calf. With the nymphs steadily tugging him further into the pool whilst screeching at a pitch that was painful to his ears, and Sam apparently _more_ than willing to break Dean's arm to get him off, Dean had to make a decision. He felt dizzy and dazed, he was struggling to breathe, and he had was virtually at the end of his reserves of strength. Still grasping the neck of his tee, Dean resorted to quiet mutterings, his face screwed up in concentration whilst he did his best to hang on, both figurally and literally.

...

A set of long, sharp nails raked down the side of Dean's face, and suddenly he had nothing left, he was done. His arm dropped limply away from Sam's leg and his head hit the ground. The Naiad immediately pulled him, face down, fully into the pool and, between them, they swiftly towed him to where the deeper waters began. Sam watched despairingly from the grassy bank, unable to tear his gaze away from the sight of the blue eyed nymph swimming further away from him, one hand resting on Dean's back.

...

Sam's heartbreak gave way to confusion when he saw all three Naiad suddenly stop swimming. He watched the sisters begin to tread water, each of them rapidly looking down and around as if searching for something. As one, they let go of the intruder, backing away from him as though afraid, and letting his body sink below the surface. Then the waters erupted. Simultaneously the Naiad began to howl, whilst flailing and clawing at themselves. Spinning around in the water the blue eyed nymph, her face now a mask of terror, spotted Sam stood at the water's edge. Her mouth open wide as she began a stomach churning keening, and frantically began to swim towards him. All around her, the water was churning and spitting. Sam saw steam begin to rise from it's surface and he looked on in disbelief as the Naiad's skin began to turn scarlet, quickly becoming covered in blisters before, finally, starting to shred and peel away. Her cries and screams persisted. Tearing off his tee, Sam dived into the pool and swam quickly towards the thrashing, wailing Naiad. Seeing Sam draw closer, she lifted an arm out of the water and reached out to him. Sam immediately stopped dead. The arm she held out to him was skeletal, every piece of flesh, muscle, tendon, gone. Still trying to reach for Sam, her cries had turned to mewls and whimpers as the water, acid like, began to eat the flesh from her face. At last, the nymph quietened and stilled. Sam stared in shock and disbelief as the waters went on to strip the dead Naiad's skeleton clean. Finally, even the bones began to swiftly dissolve and crumble into a fine white powder that formed a thin layer of scum on the water's surface, before gradually journeying into the depths.

...

Without warning, a powerful wind began to blow, churning up the waters of the pool, creating waves which raced each other across it's surface. Sam struggled to swim back to the relative safety offered by dry land. Dragging himself out of the water and onto the grass, he staggered and stumbled back onto his feet and turned to stare out at the heaving waters. There was no sign of the other two Naiad, nor of the intruder. The wind tore through every tree, stripping them of their blossom. Battling to stay upright against the buffeting gale, Sam suddenly could see nothing. The air was thick with petals swirling and dancing crazily on the wind, catching in his hair, sticking to his naked torso, still wet from the pool. They fluttered in his face, forcing him to keep his eyes half closed, before they were chased off again by another rush of wind. Sam's world shrank, becoming little more than a whirling wall of pink and white until, as if someone in the FX department had turned off the wind machine, the howling gale abruptly stopped. And as the wind dropped, so did Sam, collapsing like an abandoned marionette, out cold before he hit the floor.

**xxxxxxxxXXXxxxxxx**

_A.N. So, was it ok?_

_Chick xxx_


	24. Chapter 24

_A.N. I have to say, the reviews to the previous chapter were hilarious:) Thank you to you __**all**__ for giving me such a good giggle, I loved it! :D  
__Chick xxxx_

* * *

**CHAPTER 24**

**ooo**

After a couple of minutes, Sam began to stir. His first thoughts were of being wet and cold. Whatever he was laying on, it sure wasn't a bed, unless he'd had some kind of embarrassing accident? Warily, Sam partially opened his eyes, then flicked them wide open in confusion. _Where the Hell am I? What the...?_ He raised his head slightly, feeling some resistance followed by something dripping off his cheek with a _splat_. He appeared to be laying in some kind of boggy, grassy, open ground. Lifting his head further, Sam saw the start of some dense looking woodland a hundred yards away or so and..._What_ was that _smell_?

...

Realising the stink came from the floor of the marshy wetland area itself, Sam began to scramble to his knees, at the same time scanning the rest of the area for any clue as to where he was. How he got there, he decided, he would deal with once he knew where _there_ was. Looking around, Sam noticed that amongst the green marsh grasses and the discoloured bog water, there was the odd patch of white and -_A body?_ _Who?...Oh...__**Shit!**_-a few yards to the side of him, someone else laying still amongst the long grasses. Dragging himself upright, Sam splashed and sloshed his way to Dean's side, his stomach turning somersaults when he saw Dean's deathly pallor, and the waxy pale yellow of his lips.

"No no no...How?...Dean! You can't, you can't, _please_, you can't..."

...

Throwing himself down onto his knees by his brother's side, Sam couldn't seem to get his thoughts in order. His hands hovered over Dean, trembling, hesitant, a part of him thinking, hoping, maybe he was dreaming? With one shaking hand Sam forced himself to touch Dean's cheek. He drew back in shock at how cold his brother felt. Sam's brain finally logged the fact that Dean was completely soaked wet through, as though he'd taken a swim whilst fully clothed. The recognition served to jolt Sam into action. He didn't bother checking Dean's breathing or his pulse, simply looking at Dean was enough to tell Sam that he would find no signs of either. Instead he located the spot just below Dean's sternum, and he began compressions. Sam had no idea how long Dean had been lying like this, and he didn't want to dwell on it because he wasn't prepared to just give up, simply accepting that his brother was dead. He had to _try_ at least. And so Sam, in the midst of the boggy wetlands, maintained the compressions, all the while silently praying for a miracle. Minutes passed, Dean _still_ lay lifeless. And, despite the tears of frustration chasing down his face, Sam _still_ refused to quit.

...

When it finally came, the bubbling stream of brackish water mixed with saliva, snot and vomit that gurgled and choked out of Dean's mouth and down his nose was, at that moment, the most beautiful sight that Sam had ever seen. Sporting a wide grin, Sam quickly rolled his brother away and onto his side, as more of the disgusting mixture trailed out of the older hunter. When Dean had finally finished coughing up what he could from his lungs, strings of the stuff streched between the ground and Dean's slack mouth. Sam reached for a handful of grass and used it to wipe his brother's face clean. Every breath that Dean took was laboured and accompanied by an odd whistling, squeaking kind of sound but, at least he _was_ breathing. Right now Sam was willing to put that above whatever damage might have been done.

...

Having rolled Dean over again, onto his other side, and made certain his airways were clear, Sam waited impatiently for Dean to open his eyes. Every now and then he patted his brother's face, needing him to come around so that he could get Dean up from the wet floor. Time was an issue, Sam had no desire to still be in the middle of a bog come nightfall.

"Come on, stop being so damn stubborn Dean. You have to wake up! You hear me?"

Sam very nearly cheered out loud when he, at last, heard a quiet _M'mnf_ from his brother. Bending down closer, he cupped his hand against the back of Dean's head.

"That's it bro, come on back now. Let me see those eyes."

Dean turned his face towards the sound of Sam's voice and his eyes slitted open.

"S'miimii?"

"Yeah, it's me...Smimy. I'm right here. I need you to stay with me Dean. Can you do that for me?"

"Uh huh."

...

Blinking heavily, his head still a little wobbly on his shoulders, Dean gazed at Sam in obvious confusion once Sam managed get him sat upright. He coughed painfully, trying to clear his throat.

"S'mee...Y u nakd?"

Supporting Dean with one arm, Sam frowned.

"What? I'm _not..._I'm not naked."

Dean peered closely into Sam's face blearily.

"Yu _look_ nakd."

"Dean...I'm _not_ naked, alright? We need to move from here. You ready to try standing?"

Dean grumbled as Sam helped him slowly to his feet

"Are _so_ naked! I c'n tell...You dun Nmphffs nookiii? Vry bad."

"Dean...I have _no_ idea what you're talking about! Did you bang your head at all?"

"S'mee."

"What _now_?"

Dean raised an arm and gave Sam a weak, and badly aimed slap, unintentionally swiping Sam across the nose.

"S'for hittin' me."

...

At last Sam managed to get himself and Dean off the swampy open ground, and into the cover of the trees. On route they passed close by one of the patches of white that Sam had noted to be scattered occasionally throughout the wetland area. He was horrified when he realised that they were parts of human skeletal remains, these particular pieces being half submerged in a stagnant pool of dirty water. Just glancing around, he could count at least a dozen spots where more human remains lay jutting up out of similar pools, or peeking out from within clumps of long grasses.-_Jeeze_. _What the Hell_ _happened here?_

**xxxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxxx**

_A.N The end would appear to be in sight my friends!  
__Chick xxx_


	25. Chapter 25

_A.N. Thought you are all so friendly, lovely, kind and all round wonderful, you deserved a quick follow up.  
__Chick xxx_

* * *

**CHAPTER 25**

**ooo**

Dean was shivering and his teeth chattering as Sam helped him to sit down on dry ground, with his back against the trunk of a tree. He knew he should get Dean out of his wet clothing, but current circumstances meant that there wouldn't be much benefit. The air was cool, and getting colder as the sun sunk lower. Still topless, Sam was feeling the effects as well. He shuffled in next to his brother, and began to check the pockets of his soggy jacket. Dean opened his eyes.

"_Handsy_! See? Go away...Y'r nak'd...S'rude."

"For the last time. I'm _not_ naked! I need to make a..._Ah ha_!"

"What ah ha?"

"Your Zippo. I'm going to try to make us a fire, I need to get you warmed up."

"K."

"Don't fall asleep on me...You hear? You've got to stay awake Dean. I need to collect wood, but I'll stay in sight.

Dean nodded his understanding, then pointed over to a shrub.

"Get back pack too."

Frowning, Sam held a hand against Dean's forehead, which Dean duly batted away.

"Dude, that's just a shrub, it's not a back pack."

Dean gave Sam a look of pure disbelief, before clarifying things for his younger brother.

"S' _under_ shrubub..._moron_!"

Sam strode over to the shrub and knelt down to peer underneath. He was amazed to find that Dean was right, there was a back pack under there. Dragging it into the open, Sam stood upright and looked at the green back pack he was holding. The memories came in such a rush, it was like a physical blow, and Sam staggered under their onslaught, dizzied by the speed of recall. They were on a hunt, investigating the cause of some disappearances, the pack was his, Dean had one as well, it looked dumb, they had camped overnight, there had been music, mesmerising music, a gun shot _-Gun_ _shot?_ _Why_...?- Sam glanced down at himself and at his arms and shoulders. -_Not at_ _me then, unless it missed. Maybe...?- _There was an awful sinking feeling in his stomach as Sam slowly turned to look back at Dean where he sat, pale skinned and sleepy eyed, clearly fighting to stay awake and watch out for Sam. Sam felt his knees go weak.

...

Exhausted, freezing cold, aching and in pain, Dean saw the blurry figure of his brother fall down to his knees on the floor.-_Something's wrong...Have to get over there_.-Dean recognised that walking unaided still wasn't an option as yet, but he figured he _might_ just be able to crawl across to Sam.

...

Dragging his gaze from the back pack, Sam raised his head at the sound of a groan from Dean. He was stunned to see Dean, half laid on the floor, attempting to get onto his hands and knees.-_What the?_

"**_Dean!_** _Stop!_ What d'you think you're doing? Just, _wait there!_"

Sam scrambled onto his feet and ran back to Dean. Dean squinted up at Sam from where he lay.

"K...M'waitin'."

Dropping the back pack, Sam squatted down. Hooking his arms under Dean's armpits, he sat his brother upright again and manoeuvred Dean back up against the tree. Sam was scared, and as a result, he was angry.

"What the _fuck_ were you trying to do Dean? Just _what_ were you playing at? Honestly? I've no idea what's happened to us. I haven't got the faintest clue how we both ended up here, but I'm _trying_ to take care of things. All I want from _you_ is for you to sit here and stay still. Seriously? What's so freakin' hard about that? Huh?"

Keeping his head bowed, Dean avoided meeting Sam's eyes and stayed silent.

"You really are unbelievable! If you want to help, here's the damn back pack. Go through it for anything useful while I get firewood and, **_stay put_**! _Gottit_?"

A brief nod was the only answer Sam got.

...

On his return, Dean was looking pleased with himself and he held something up for Sam's inspection.

"Hey! We've got coffee!"

Sam smiled.

"That's great!...Look, I'm sorry I yelled Dean. I had no right, I was just..."

"No. S' fine Sammy. Ok?...Wanna see what else we got?"

"Pizza? To go with the coffee?"

Dean grinned happily.

"Better!"

...

Sam couldn't help but laugh at his brother's surly expression. Over his mug of coffee, Dean glowered back at Sam from where he sat, zipped up in the sleeping bag with only his arms, shoulders and head poking out.

"_Shut up_, it's embarrassing. What if somebody comes and here _I_ am, naked except for a sleeping bag? What if I need to go, _you_ know...I can't just wander off into the trees butt naked. There could be wildlife!"

Sam paused in his task of hanging wet clothing over the impromptu wash rack he'd made from various sized branches. His expression became thoughtful and serious.

"Hell! You're _right_! I hadn't thought about the wildlife...The sight could cause them a _lifetime_ of trauma!"

Dean gave his brother the finger. However dumb he felt sitting around wearing the sleeping bag, he was dry, he was finally warming up, he was drinking hot coffee in front of a healthy sized fire, and he was feeling pleasantly drowsy. A pizza would have made it near perfect. The main irritation right now was the cough he seemed to have begun to work on. Dean drained his coffee as Sam finished arranging the wet clothing and he held the mug out to Sam.

"Your turn."

Sam was carrying something in one hand when he sat down opposite Dean, he put it on the floor at his side before taking the mug and making himself a coffee. When he was settled, he picked the object up and held it, dangling from his hand, for Dean to see.

"It was in the pocket of your denim. It's the raincoat bag, right? It's got water in the bottom, cloudy water...Salt water. I'm guessing you filled the bag with salt? Oh, and what's with the new necklace? Not something you'd normally wear, a rosary. Dean, how about you fill me in on what I seem to have missed? What happened to us bro? Please, I've just got this huge blank spot in my head."

Dean nodded.

"Ok...Tell me what you _do_ remember, and I'll take it from there."

Carefully putting the pieces back together, Sam relayed what he could recall to his brother, all except one thing. Sam didn't mention the vague memory of a gunshot, instead, he let Dean take over. However, Dean made no mention of shooting anything. Sam could _almost_ believe he'd been mistaken, he_ had_ been under the Naiad's thrall at the time. Still, there was that tiny niggle.

...

Sam stared for so long at Dean in stunned amazement, that Dean began to wriggle in discomfort.

"Will you stop that? It's creepy!"

Sam shook his head slowly, still processing what he'd just heard.

"Sorry, but...Dude, you did a blessing and turned the whole of their pool into one big body of Holy Water! Sonovabitch! Dean, that's...that's..."

Dean grinned.

"Awesome?"

"Damn right! Major league awesome!"

Dean's blush added to the heat he was already feeling in his cheeks.

"Thanks...I think I might accidentally have given them all a salt bath too. It would've dissolved into the water from the hessian bag, and I'm guessing water got in through the top of that green bag."

Sam nodded his agreement.

"So, you saved my ass...From three female, hot, sexy, naked nymphs?"

"Hey! They would've _eaten_ you! _Alive_!"

Sam laughed at Dean's indignant protest, then suddenly became silent. Dean frowned.

"What's wrong? Sammy?"

Sam's voice was little more than a whisper.

"You were dead...When I found you...You weren't breathing Dean. You were gone."

"Oh...I see...Well...Then I guess I owe you _my_ ass too little brother."

...

Whilst Sam tended the fire and kept watch, Dean tried to sleep. Throughout the night though, his wracking cough got worse, as did the sound effects accompanying his breathing. During a particularly restless phase, with Dean moaning and muttering, Sam again felt at his brother's forehead, and was unhappy to feel the low level heat and the slight clammy feeling to Dean's skin. Although virtually all the water had been puked out of Dean's lungs, there was always the possibility that small amounts, containing who knew what bacteria and pond life, was still hiding in the bottom of his lungs. Sam knew it was not uncommon for victims who survived drowning to die later, having gone on to develop serious Pneumonia as a result of those tiny amounts of water left behind in their lungs. Come first light, he and Dean would head back to the Impala and then, whether his brother agreed or not, it was straight to ER with Dean to get the prescription antibiotics needed to prevent his chesty cough and temperature from getting worse.

**xxxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxxx**

_A.N. Going out tonight to meet up with two of our best friends. Gotta say, I'm curious. Had a message to say they have a "business proposition" for me. Slightly nervous, and if you knew this pair, you would be too! One of their ideas had me standing with 499 others, facing 2,000 muttering "Rubber weapons, rubber weapons" as a reminder that's all they were. I'd been used to fighting with metal weapons till then, way less scary somehow! We had no idea there was an illegal double handed metal sword on the other side.. Fortunately the guy carrying it hit my mate next to me on the head, my mate had a metal helmet on. Result? Huge clang of metal on metal, 2,493 people silenced & froze. 6 moved, 1 guy went down. Great weekend :D  
__Chick xxx_


	26. Chapter 26

_A.N. Surprise bonus chapter (Well, it's a surprise to me, didn't expect to get another one out quite so soon) :)  
__Chick xxx_

* * *

**CHAPTER 26**

**ooo**

It was that moment between night's darkness and the onset of dawn, and Sam listened to the crystal clear sound of the plaintive call of a single bird, heralding the start of the dawn chorus with his solo piece. As the light began to change, other members of the choir gradually added their voices to that of the soloist, until the forest literally rang with the sound of birdsong. Sam couldn't remember the sound of the harp Dean had told him he kept hearing, but he couldn't imagine the music of the harp coming anywhere close to the music that now filled the air from this glorious choir of birds. Closing his eyes, he listened with delight, until a new sound broke his concentration.

"**_Shurrup_**! M'stuck...Where?...Lemme out! _Heeelp_...Sammy _heeelp_...M'stuck!"

Turning to look, Sam clamped a hand over his mouth to stifle his laughter. At some point, Dean had disappeared completely inside his sleeping bag. From the way the sleeping bag was undulating, it appeared that Dean was wriggling and spinning around inside it, looking for a way out.

...

"_Sammmeeee_!"

Dean's cry ended in a hacking coughing fit and the sleeping bag took on the shape of a reverse comma as Dean curled up on himself. Moving quickly, Sam went to free his brother, unzipping the bag far enough so that Dean's head was out in the open. He put a comforting hand on what he assumed was Dean's shoulder, and waited as Dean fought to control both his coughing and his breathing. Finally the coughing subsided, and Dean blinked open bleary and red rimmed eyes, immediately latching onto his brothers worried face. Dean gave Sam a tired looking smile.

"You found me."

"I didn't have to look very far. How're you feeling?"

Dean considered the question.

"Shitty?"

"Let's get you sat up, it'll help you to breathe easier."

Sam pulled Dean, complete with sleeping bag, into a sitting position and, once again, propped his brother's back against the tree trunk. Dean's head dipped forward as if it was too heavy for him to hold upright. Feeling Dean's cheeks and forehead again. Sam wasn't happy to discover that Dean felt much hotter, his skin slicked with a sheen of sweat. Pulling an arm out of the bag, Dean weakly tried to stop Sam checking on him. With one arm free, the bag slid down around Dean's waist, and Sam froze.

"Dean!"

Looking down at himself, Dean's befuddled brain latched onto what Sam had seen, and Dean fumbled with the bag, trying to pull it back up and cover himself. Sam's hand around his wrist stopped him, and Dean gazed up at Sam's expression warily, waiting whilst Sam put the pieces together for himself.

...

Shaking his head, Sam backed away from his brother. Standing, Sam turned and moved swiftly to the nearest bush, where he bent over and began to dry heave. Gradually his stomach stopped cramping, and he heard Dean's quiet voice.

"S'ok Sammy...S'ok."

Sam spun round and stared back across at Dean.

"Why...Didn't you tell me?"

Dean felt too ill to formulate a reply, he didn't want to have this conversation, Knew that whatever he said wouldn't help, so he turned away from Sam's glare.

"Dean! _Answer me_!"

Still avoiding looking at Sam, Dean shook his head.

"Please...Don't..."

Sam purposefully strode over to Dean. Kneeling down in front of him, he grabbed the arm that Dean was using to try to cover the injury and stared at the deep bruising and redness across Dean's stomach.

"I did this, didn't I? I..._shot_ you."

Dean nodded miserably, his voice a whisper.

"Was only rock salt...doesn't matter."

"Only...? _Dean_! Look at me!"

Dean's head was spinning, he was way too hot, and he felt sick. Breathing had suddenly become even more difficult, it felt like his lungs had shut down, like no air was getting into them, he couldn't breath in deep enough, only managing panting gasps, the ground in front of him seemed to sway and blur. Dean grabbed at his chest, kept trying to take deep breaths, couldn't. Sam was saying something, it didn't make sense, his lungs whistled and wheezed...

Sam managed to catch Dean as he began sliding sideways to the floor, his eyes fluttering closed.

...

Sat behind Dean, Sam held his brother up against himself. He had tilted Dean's head back, opening Dean's airways as much as he could. It wasn't what Dean needed, he needed an inhaler, or a nebuliser, he needed oxygen, he needed to be in hospital. Although Dean had come around quickly, he hadn't spoken, concentrating instead on trying not to panic and keeping his breathing as even as he could, focusing on trying to take long slow breaths instead of the gasping, frantic ones. It was helping a little, his chest was beginning to feel less tight now. Sam found himself unintentionally breathing in time with Dean, between muttering reassurances and encouragement, whilst at the same time wondering how the Hell he was going to get Dean back to the car. Sam tried hard to ignore his _own_ weariness, and his desire to lay down and sleep, having stayed awake through the night, watching Dean

...

When Dean finally spoke in a soft, shakey voice, it startled Sam, and he realised he had been very close to drifting off.

"What's wrong with me Sammy? Why couldn't I breathe?"

Sam answered as honestly as he could.

"You had an asthma attack. I think maybe you've contracted Pneumonia, there must have been some water left in your lungs.

"Pneumonia? Oh...That's not so good, is it?"

"No. It's not great. But you're gonna be fine Dean, just as soon as I get you to hospital."

"Don't wanna go to crappy hospital. It's..._Crappy_!"

"Yes it is, but I'm still gonna get you there."

There was a pause, then,

"How?"

**xxxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxxx**

_A.N. Hoping to be able to update again in the not too distant future.  
__Chick xxx_


	27. Chapter 27

_A.N. To everyone who has taken the time to read this, my heartfelt thanks. Chick xxx_

* * *

**CHAPTER 27**

ooo

Dean stared at Sam bug eyed.

"No **_way_**! No. Not **_ever_**! No!...You'll have to leave me behind, save yourself Sammy, it's the only way...Stop _looking_ at me like that!...I _want_ you to leave me here!.,.,.,.,.,.,Sam? _Sammy_?...Aren't you going to say something?"

Sam stood looking down at Dean, his head slightly tilted on one side, his arms folded...and a completely unsympathetic expression on his face.

"_Why_?...Have you finished?"

"But _Sammy_...

"Thought not."

...You can't_ make _me...I'll...I'll..."

"You'll_ what_ exactly Dean? Run away? I'm making the call, and that's final...And you might as well put that bottom lip away, it won't help any...Jeeze, I swear, it's like dealing with a _five _year old!"

Sam reached for the back pocket of his jeans, trying one, then the other, whilst Dean watched sulkily. Sam looked again at Dean...and, simultaneously, they both looked towards the back pack.

...

Dean was silent other than the wheeze of his breathing and the outbursts of coughing, during which Sam waited patiently, before continuing to help Dean dress. Sam hated seeing Dean so weak, knew how much it would be annoying Dean to need his younger brother's help to dress. The slightest exertion left Dean needing to rest, his whole body trembling, he was shivering with cold, yet burning up, shaking fingers fumbled over the buttons on his over shirt and Sam could see the pain in his brother's eyes, as well as the fear. Having finally got Dean back into dry, all be it scruffy, clothing; Sam pulled on the tee which Dean had been wearing, and immediately felt better for covering up. Sam's feet, however, had to remain bare.

"Ok Dean, you can just take it easy for a short time while I put the fire out and make sure I've packed everything. It shouldn't be long now before they get here."

Still refusing to speak to Sam, Dean simply glared at him with glassy, fevered eyes. Sam smiled.

"Glare as hard as you like, it's the only way we're gonna get you out of here, and you know it."

...

Sam had just finished covering the remains of the fire, when he heard the sound of a helicopter. Dean had fallen into a restless sleep as soon as Sam had begun putting things into the back pack and putting out the fire. Sam wasn't at all looking forward to having to wake his brother, and he wished that he knew of a way to _keep_ Dean sleeping, until they arrived at the hospital ER. As it was, Sam had no choice other than to wake his sleeping brother.

"Dean. Dean...The copter's on it's way. Come on, you need to wake up dude."

Dean's eyes slowly cracked open. He appeared to be struggling to focus.

"Dean? You with me?"

"S'm...S'm?...Don't feel so good. Gonna stay home tonigh'...'K?"

Sam ran his hand through his brother's sweat dampened hair.

"Ok Dean. That's a good idea."

...

Sam waved at the two paramedics as they climbed out of the air-ambulance, waiting whilst they ran towards him, ready to guide them to his brother.

**xxxxxxxxXXXxxxxxxxx**

**ooooo**

**EPILOGUE**

Dean was sat up in his hospital bed. His eyes lit up when the door opened and Sam walked into the room. A broad smile appeared on Dean's face.

"Did you get it?"

Sam grinned and held up a paper bag for Dean to see.

"Two kinds."

Dean's grin grew broader.

"_That's_ my baby brother. Bring 'em over here."

Sam hesitated, glancing at the bag in his hand with a small frown.

"_Sam_! Give!"

"I'm not no sure Dean...Maybe it would be better to ask one of the nurses to keep it safe till we check with your specialist tomorrow, make sure it's ok?"

"What? _No_! I _swear_, you try taking those pie's away and I will _beat_ your ass when I get out of here...Sam?...Sam?...Where're you going? Sam?...**_Sameeeee_**!"

**END**

Chick xxxx

**Beware my fine young traveller,**

**Within this forest deep.**

**Else that which lay here waiting,**

**May call you whilst you sleep.**

**Turn away ****_now_**** young traveller.**

**Turn quickly, whilst you still can.**

**Run far from that which lay waiting,**

**Or sleep forever, young man.**

**ooo**


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